09-24-18 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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REGULAR MEETING September 24, 2018 Corporation would do well to work with us in intensifying that effort. The City of Mishawaka has something. Could someone explain what TRANSPO does for Mishawaka? Mr. Kubaszak replied, They are called school trippers. They offset the fixed-route that goes by. We just add an extra bus to that route during the morning to school and afternoon back home. It just adds one (1) more bus and it is open to the public so everyone can pay the same fare. Councilmember Oliver Davis stated, I could see us doing something similar here to add to what we are doing in Mishawaka. If we could look at that I think that would really help us. That one (1) extra bus really makes a difference. Councilmember Jo M. Broden stated, I have three (3) quick comments. Three (3) smart things. First (1St), your summer ridership got knocked out of the park. That is what kind of leads me into that South Bend School Corporation, you, know, can we take this perhaps a little bit further, particularly with regard to some of the older students and up. Your para-transit changes you've made in that program, I am very appreciative of that. And then the yellow-line is great. Thank you for those in particular. This being the time heretofore set for the Public Hearing on the above bill, proponents and opponents were given an opportunity to be heard. Samuel Brown, 222 East Navarre Street, South Bend, IN, stated, I have a watchdog group called Citizens United for a Better Government. TRANSPO, I would like to know if we have done a complete audit from the last director. How do you stand financially?I had a problem with him and I was worried about TRANSPO. I would like to know these answers because we all know that we want a good and sound bussing system. From the information I've got, the Dunbar homes got a route pulled. TRANSPO is not adequately serving all the people of South Bend. I hear the wonderful things they are doing with expansion and it sounds good but I've got some concerns. The last director was garbage and I'm not scared to say it. I'm telling you like it is. Him and I had a lot of words about that Dunbar housing project. People have to walk from West Washington down to Western. They have jobs out by the new Martins. Trying to walk down that hill then they have to walk back up that hill. I went to the board meetings and I haven't given up. The citizens, especially me, because I got information left to me by a really trustworthy person, think some of these things are wrong. I hope that we can dialogue and get it straightened out. The Dunbar homes, when they rerouted the bus, got a new hardship. They are elderly people. As fat as I am, I can not walk up that hill from Western Avenue to the Dunbar homes. I hope we get some dialogue to correct that. Jesse Davis, P.O. Box 10205, South Bend, IN, stated, Obviously public transportation is very important to the community as a whole, not just South Bend. While they are looking at their budgets and spending money to replace fleets and things,we have a couple public health and safety issues that are going on in Mishawaka. I know there are Council Members that have seen it. It has been all over social media. Number one (1), I've never run into that transfer center over there but there are people that have to sit there and wait for, sometimes, extended periods of times to get on the buses. I honestly don't know if there are restrooms there. If there are, are they out of order or something?Because there are two (2)businesses, a gas station and the old Bonnie Doons which is now a small restaurant,who frequently get people coming in and out wanting to use the bathrooms. I happened to be in the restaurant one (1) morning and a guy came off one (1) of the buses and tried to pass a counterfeit five (5) dollar bill to get change for the bus. When the lady marked the bill and said that's fake money,the guy hit the door and ran up onto a bus. I chased him to the bus and so I know they have a problem, obviously, with restrooms. They have a sidewalk that I'm assuming is owned by TRANSPO that runs from the walk back to the terminal. That sidewalk has been in such despair for well over a year. I shared a live video last week because an elderly women with a walker couldn't even lift the walker high enough to get around the heave on the sidewalk. Well,when I did the live video and I stepped on that big chuck of sidewalk which is almost as big as this podium, that whole sidewalk teeters. You could get your feet stuck on it, little kids could get their feet stuck on it and its been that way for over a year. It has been on social media and people have talked about it a lot and there is no way that TRANSPO doesn't know that that needs fixing. If we are going to spend money on CNG buses which are supposed to save us money in the 15