Council Committee Discussions on 2024-02-05 6:00 PM

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Charlotte Council Committee Discussions 2h 15m 9 speakers 8 agenda items transcribed 1 day ago official recording ↗

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What topics were outlined for the February 5 council committee meeting?

Dante Anderson 0:00

begin to use this first Monday of the month meeting a little bit differently than we had over last term. So today we're gonna have a truncated overview from our committee chairs around the most salient important topics that came up. And then we're gonna spend some time talking about some of the one of the key topics that is top of mind for us that we'll be voting on in the future, uh potentially next week, which is our quality of life ordinances. So first I want to kick it off and I'll start at the top of the morning with Mr. Driggs with the Transportation and Planning Committee.

Ed Driggs 0:40

Uh thank you, Madam Vice Chair, uh Mayor Burton. So the members of the Transportation Planning and Development Committee are myself as Chair, Miss Molina as Vice Chair, and Council Members Graham Johnson and Watlington. We had three topics of conversation. One was an update on cats. Where we were heard that the Ongoing remediation process at CATS continues. No big breakthrough news there. The FTA review is near completion, so we expect to get that report from the Feds in the near term. Uh and the transition to the new bus management service is in uh is occurring right now, is going on over the next couple of weeks. Uh there was a question raised in committee. about the status of the uh The repairs to the trucks.

Ed Driggs 1:32

Uh and this is part of what we were told already about the process of remediation of issues at CATS. Uh basically those are uh being sent out and I think Mr. Cagle if you're here uh perhaps you could give us a just a quick highlight on that one.

Brent Cagle 1:51

Yes, sir. Uh Brent Kegel interim CEO for CATS. Um good evening everyone. So there were questions about the status of the what we call the truck maintenance contract. Trucks are the wheel assemblies on a train. There are three sets of trucks per light rail vehicle. So we entered into a contract in July. First, we sought approval from City Council in April of 2023 to amend an existing contract with Siemens, entered into that contract with Siemens in July to conduct truck overhaul maintenance on all of the fleet. As we were working through this with Siemens, we also added a technology system, a new technology system, which will be the First implemented such system in the United States for light rail vehicles.

Brent Cagle 2:43

This technology system is implemented across the world, just not in the United States yet. So we view uh the contract as a win for Charlotte as well as for all of our passengers. Total value on the contract is $58.6 million. That contract Again, it covers the entire fleet plus the technology system, and it meets our heavy maintenance or truck maintenance needs well into 2028. By working with Siemens, we also expedited the contract. We were able to cut approximately two and a half years off of the estimated delivery of all of The primary way that they are expediting the work is they have opened a second shop in Florida. Uh prior to this all of the trucks went to California for service and now they will go split between California and Florida for service.

Brent Cagle 3:48

Florida representing a much uh shorter travel time. So, where are we today? All of those contracts are in place. It did take Siemens a little bit to stand up the shop, do make ready, purchase the necessary equipment to do the maintenance and set it up in Florida. That is completed. As of today, the cash spend on the contract is $22 million. And over by April of 2024. We expect to have received 10 truck sets back. So that's 30 total trucks. A truck set is the three trucks required per light rail vehicle. As well, Siemens is starting to install the technology system on vehicles. Once they install one set or one the technology system on one vehicle, we will start the beta testing with Siemens. With the expectation that the full fleet will be outfitted with the new technology system over the next 12 months.

Brent Cagle 4:49

Again, I will note this puts us in a much better position to ensure that we do not end up in behind on maintenance again. And it's all well within budget and has been and has been accounted for in our reserves and as it's being paid for.