Minutes

Executive Committee Meeting Minutes — Conference Call – February 20, 2018

MARP Executive Committee
Conference Call
20 February 2018
7:30 – 8:30 pm

Members Present:  Steve Vagnozzi, Adam Tauno Williams, John Langdon, Charles Shong, Robert Tischbein, Kay Chase

Members Absent:  Robert Paterson, Stewart Bolinger, Mark Miller

Chase will contact Detroit City Mobility person who spoke at TRU meeting about speaking at the April 21 meeting in Detroit at a venue yet to be determined

Williams is working on a UMich event in March. Yuri Popov is helping. Vagnozzi asks how meeting will be promoted, what MDOT’s involvement will be? Raffle a train ticket?  Adam will first secure meeting place and date and then work with MDOT, Amtrak on these details.

Review of goals discussed at January meeting.

Pursuing the re-route of the Lakeshore appears to be too much of an uphill battle – neither MDOT nor Amtrak appears to want to pursue it, apparently because of problem with CN in Battle Creek.

Langdon report:   Meeting coming up to work on next steps for the Coast-to-Coast project. $300,000 – $500,000 needed for the next study, which is less than anticipated. A2TC project moving forward. “Tourist” (demonstration} train Kingsley to Traverse City may be a possibility for Cherry Festival in Traverse City.

Intra-city/intercity connections: Vagnozzi wants to work with CATA about weekend service to the station. Williams cites fact that Grand Rapids transit’s last runs depart 15 minutes before the evening Pere Marquette arrives.

Langdon: MDOT/Amtrak planning a number of special trains originating in Chicago:

  • May 5 and 12 Tulip Train to Holland
  • Senior PGA Golf Tournament in Benton Harbor. Rich Vavra-Musser will help with this.
  • Maybe Art Prize in Grand Rapids

Michigan Day at Chicago Union Station is April 3 & 4.

Vagnozzi raises concern with PTC issue on Blue Water and Pere Marquette routes. May not be operative by the 2018 deadline. Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson has said Amtrak will suspend service where PTC is not operable.

Shong is willing to format the membership card to have the member’s state representative & senator and US Representative and Senators listed on the back of the card.

Respectfully submitted:                                                     Accepted:

_____Kay Chase____________            ____Steve Vagnozzi___________

Kay Chase, Acting Secretary                                              Steve Vagnozzi, Chair