MINUTES
KNOXVILLE TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY
Main Assembly Room, City County Building
Thursday, October 26, 2006 at 3:00 P.M.
Vice-Chair Roddy chaired the meeting in the absence of Essie Johnson. Attorney
John Lawhorn acknowledged that a quorum was not present.
Commissioners in attendance were as follows:
Commissioner Holloway
Commissioner Rogero
Commissioner Sibley
Attorney Lawhorn stated that there was not a quorum present at the meeting to vote on this
motion therefore approval of September 28, 2006 minutes will be considered at the
November 21, 2006 meeting.
Ms. Melissa Trevathan, KAT Chief Administrative Officer, reported that on
October 14, 2006, the Annual KAT Bus Roadeo was held at Central High School.
The winners are 1 st place Jerry Jones, 2 nd place Maurice Mobley, and 3 rd place winner
Jimmy Leatherwood. Jerry Jones and Maurice Mobley will go on to Chattanooga in
November to compete at the State Roadeo Championship.
Blake Young, City of Knoxville Financial Analyst, reported that as of September 30,
25% of the year is complete therefore 25% of revenue should have been collected and
25% of expense should have been expensed. He also reported that Motor
Bus funds are slightly low at 24% while Trolley funds are high at 32%.
Demand Response is low at 15%.
There was no old business discussed.
V. NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business discussed.
a. Advocacy Committee and Ground Transportation Committee
No Advocacy Committee or Ground Transportation Committee report was discussed.
b. Knoxville Station CommitteeCommissioner Holloway reported that the sites being considered by PBA for the new
Knoxville Station are Church Avenue Bridge, at the Southern Railway, and Main Street.c. Community Advisory Committee
No Community Advisory Committee report was discussed.
B. APPEAL OF DENIAL OF A TAXI PERMIT - Mr. Clarence A. Canada
Attorney Lawhorn explained to Mr. Clarence Canada and the KAT Board that there
was not a quorum present, therefore his appeal would be denied due to a lack of a
quorum. Attorney Lawhorn also explained to Mr. Canada that he could do one of two things:
Mr. Canada agreed to postpone his case until the November meeting.
Mrs. Belinda Woodiel-Brill, KAT’s Director of Marketing and Development, reported that this
proposal concerns service to the new Target store at Harvest Lane, using
Route #23-Millertown/Fairmont. Since Target store has a narrow entrance way, a small vehicle
would have to be used. It is proposed that the neighborhood service Route #23 be used.
The Route #23 already services Knoxville Center Mall and Wal-Mart, and to allow the route to
maintain its present schedule, service to the Wal-Mart would need to be eliminated from Route #23
and serviced instead by Route #90 – Crosstown. If approved, the changes would
take effect in January 2007.
The Commissioners agreed to place this proposal of Route #23 back on the agenda
for consideration a later date.
Mrs. Woodiel-Brill reported that this proposed change involves a number of issues with the
Route #90 – Crosstown. First, the crosstown route is no longer able to maintain the presently listed
scheduled time points. Due to a number of school zones and construction zones, more time needs
to be added to each trip. This would change the time points and reduce the number of trips made per day.
KAT proposes adding service to the Millertown Wal-Mart route, which is a frequent request of passengers
traveling on Route #90.
Another change is the elimination of Centerline Drive, using Mall Road South instead, in order to
increase efficiency. KAT has examined numerous options with regards to the Route #90, and has
found this proposal to be most viable option for maintaining the present level of services while
creating a more accurate and achievable time schedule. If approved, the changes would
take effect in January 2007.
The Commissioners agreed to place this proposal of Route #90 back on the agenda for
consideration at a later date.
E. CONSIDERATION OF REVISION OF ORANGE LINE TROLLEY ROUTE –
Belinda Woodiel-Brill
Mrs. Woodiel-Brill reported that KAT has received a request and associated petition to expand
the Orange Line Trolley into the Old City. This change will connect the Old City with the rest
of the downtown via weekday daytime trolley service, as well as provide a direct connection
with The University of Tennessee area.
The expansion of the service would mean the frequency would increase from every 10 minutes to every 15.
KAT staff has discussed the pros and cons with the stakeholders such as the CBID Board and the
Transportation & Parking Committee, the Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation and
The University of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee contributes significantly to the operation
of the Orange Line trolley to ensure an efficient connection between the UT Conference Center
and the main campus.
The board decided to take no action on the Consideration of Revision of the Orange Line Trolley Route;
therefore the route will remain as it is presently operating.
F. CONSIDERATION OF MODIFICATION TO APPROVE EXPRESS SERVICES -
#104X - Y-12/DOWNTOWN - Belinda Woodiel-Brill
Mrs. Woodiel-Brill reported that KAT has been receiving additional requests for service in the downtown
(Civic Coliseum Garage) area for an additional route to connect Y-12 employees to Oak Ridge.
She went on to say that the proposal calls for one morning trip and one evening trip to serve primarily
the bargaining unit shift at the Y-12 facility. The new service will begin at the Civic Coliseum and
proceed directly out to Commerce Business Park and Y-12. As with the 103X, all passengers who do not
have proper Y-12 identification must disembark at the Commerce Business Park. The afternoon trip will follow
the same routing starting at Y-12, then Commerce Business Park and then returning to the Civic Coliseum.
It is proposed that this route operate weekdays only and that passengers showing a valid Y-12
staff identification badge ride free.
It is also proposed that this route operate as a demonstration route for one year, beginning January 8, 2007.
Funding for the first year has been acquired through Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality funds (CMAQ),
TDOT and Y-12. Prior to the end of the one-year demonstration period, KAT will present a recommendation
to the board regarding whether to continue the service on a permanent basis.
Commissioner Rogero made a motion to approve the Express Service #104X- Y12/Downtown.
Commissioner Holloway seconded the motion.
Attorney Lawhorn stated that there is not a quorum present at the meeting to vote on the motion.
Attorney Lawhorn explained that the Commissioners present could vote on the motion and that the
Recording Secretary should call another commissioner and poll them on their vote regarding this motion.
NOTE: The Recording Secretary called Commissioner McAfee on October 27, 2006 regarding the motion
and he indicated his affirmative vote in favor of the motion.
G. OTHER NEW BUSINESS
Ms. Trevathan reported that KAT has been approached through the Mayor’s office regarding semester
passes for Knoxville College students. The Mayor’s office has asked KAT to make available passes
for students in the work-study program. The semester passes will operate by the same guidelines
as the UT passes are currently operating.
Vice-Chair Roddy recommended that some information be presented to the board
before the meeting in cases like this.
Commissioner Sibley made a motion for the remainder of this semester to make available
35 passes for Knoxville College students with the intent to bring this issue back to the board in November 2006.
Commissioner Rogero seconded the motion.
Attorney Lawhorn stated that there is not a quorum present at the meeting to vote on the motion.
Attorney Lawhorn explained that the Commissioners present could vote on the motion and that the
Recording Secretary should call another commissioner and poll them on their vote regarding this motion.
NOTE: The Recording Secretary called Commissioner McAfee on October 27, 2006 regarding the motio
n and he indicated his affirmative vote in favor of the motion.
Betty Burks commented that the petition that Mr. David Chapppell brought to the board about re-routing
the Orange Line Trolley was not legal because 2/3 of those signatures were tourist and they would not
be returning to Knoxville. Ms. Burks also stated that the drivers are not respecting passengers and driving too fast.
She went on to say that old people don’t always shop at the first of the month.
Ms. Melissa Ortiz commented that Broadway Towers is also for people with disabilities.
Ms. Ortiz also asked KAT to look at the paratransit program to make it more feasible for passengers.
The next meeting was set for Tuesday, November 21, 2006 at 3:00pm in the Main Assembly Room
of the City County Building.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Smith
KTA Recording Secretary