From the desk of ...........

Beecher Hudson, KPTA President

June 16, 2010 

Dear KPTA Members: 

We will not be meeting during the month of July for our next regularly scheduled KPTA bi-monthly meeting. Our next meeting will be Tuesday September 28, at Louisville Wheels Transportation. 

Don’t forget to make your room reservations for the KPTA Mini Conference, August 25-27, 2010 at the Capital Plaza Hotel in Frankfort Kentucky. Ms. Vickie Bourne, Executive Director of the Office of Transportation Delivery, and her staff are putting together all the latest updates and information from FTA. Mr. Robert Buckley from our Atlanta regional office will be our special guest. We all remember Robert from last year’s conference in Lexington and the great job he did. Registration information will be coming out soon from Ms. Shirley Cummins who is our conference chairperson. 

We want to thank the members of the General Assembly and the Governor for passing a State budget and avoiding a shut down of State government. The budget is lean and with no new revenues on the horizon for the next two years we will all have to be very prudent. These are difficult economic times and even though the experts say we are coming out of the worst recession since the great depression. 

Please continue to stay in contact with your legislatures over the summer and let them know how you are doing and what your future needs are. It’s going to be a long hot summer so stay cool and remember we are still blessed despite these difficult times. Remember to keep the people in the Gulf in your thoughts and prayers.

As always, I want to thank the membership for there ongoing support of KPTA.

Sincerely,

Beecher Hudson

Beecher Hudson, President

Kentucky Public Transit Association

KENTUCKY TRANSPORTATION CABINET OFFICE OF TRANSPORTATION DELIVERY  Public Transit Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Notice PUBLIC CONSULTATION In accordance with 49 CFR Part 26, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), Office of Transportation Delivery, is establishing public transportation utilization goals for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) in the Federal Rural and Small Urban Mass Transit Program and applicable KYTC capital programs funded by the USDOT/Federal Transit Administration for Federal Fiscal Years 2011, 2012, and 2013 (October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2013) for small urban and nonurbanized areas.  To participate in the establishment of these goals, interested parties may contact Gail Mayeux at (502) 564-7433 to set up a meeting or to discuss by telephone concerns and questions regarding equitable business opportunities in public transit projects for DBE and small business firms. Goals may be established and published by June 14, 2010. Note:  Also published on Kentucky Public Transit Association Website KENTUCKY TRANSPORTATION CABINET OFFICE OF TRANSPORTATION DELIVERY  Public Transit Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Notice  In accordance with 49 CFR Part 26, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), Office of Transportation Delivery, has established an overall utilization goal of 5 percent for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) in the Federal Rural and Small urban Mass Transit Program and applicable KYTC capital programs funded by the USDOT/Federal Transit Administration for the next three (3) Federal Fiscal Years beginning October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2013.  The goals and the basis for establishing these goals are available for public inspection from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the Office of Transportation Delivery, 3rd Floor, Transportation Office Building, 200 Mero Street, Frankfort, KY  40622 for 30 days following the date of this notice. Comments may be sent to the above address and will be accepted for 45 days from the date of this notice.  Comments may also be sent during the 45-day comment period to the USDOT/Federal Transit Administration at the address listed below: Mr. Frank M. Billue Regional Civil Rights Officer Office of Civil Rights, FTA Region IV 230 Peachtree Street, NW, Suite 800 Atlanta, GA  30303 A message from Vickie S. Bourne, Office of Transportation Delivery ... Reference Federal Register March 24, 2009. The Federal Transit Administration has released a notice announcing the availability the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) program.  Proposals for the TIGGER Grant Program must be submitted by May 22, 2009.   Eligible Applicants Any public transportation agency may apply. Since the minimum proposal that will be accepted is $2,000,000, eligible applicants may submit a consolidated proposal either directly, through a designated recipient, a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), State Transit Association, Transportation Management Association (TMA), or through a State Department of Transportation. Grant awards will be made for particular projects directly to public transportation agencies.  C. Eligible Expenses Eligible expenses must meet the following criteria: (1) The expense must be an eligible capital expense as defined under 49 U.S.C. 5302(a)(1); and (2) The project will assist in the reduction of the energy consumption of a public transportation system or the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of a public transportation system. This excludes some elements of the statutory definition of a capital project, such as fleet expansion or fixed guideway extensions because these types of projects would increase transit agency energy consumption. Dear Colleague Letter  |  Model Bus Transit Safety and Security Program This message being sent on behalf of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), and the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA). Dear Colleague,  We are pleased to share with you the attached "Dear Colleague Letter"  and its enclosure, distributed under the joint signatures of FTA, AASHTO, APTA and CTAA - partners to the Model Transit Bus Safety and Security Program Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).  The letter and its enclosure represent increased collaboration and cooperation between FTA and its partners to the MOU as well as input we have received from bus transit industry stakeholders. We believe that the new Model Program Strategies highlighted in the letter enclosure continue along the path of the valuable progress and exceptional work over the last few years by our transit bus industry stakeholders.  These strategies emphasize increased partnership and the development and distribution of practical technical assistance to bus transit agencies as well as the identification of assessment  measures to maintain the voluntary nature of the Model Program.   Initial objectives include the compilation of technical assistance materials that are tailored to meet the needs of small and rural bus transit agencies. In the near future, FTA will establish a Working Group with representatives from its partners to the MOU, bus transit agencies, national and state Rural Transit Assistance Programs (RTAP), State Departments of Transportation, Federal partners and other key stakeholders.  The Working Group will improve program coordination and communication and ensure that an ongoing dialogue is maintained with all Model Program stakeholders.  You will be consistently updated on Working Group activities and deliverables. FTA and its Bus Safety Partners are hopeful that you will continue in your support of the Model Program.  We appreciate your patience in cooperating with FTA on the Model Program and look forward to working with you as we move forward.  We also understand that additional questions may be raised as a result of this communication and we want to assure you that answers will be forthcoming in future outreach efforts.  Thank you again for your ongoing support. Sincerely, Carole Ferguson - Program Manager FTA's Office of Safety and Security