On June 9, 2006, the NOACA Governing Board approved the following regarding this project: Resolution No. 2006-022 Project Planning Review Resolution No. 2006-023 Plan Amendment. Title:  GCRTA SFY 2007 – 2009 Work Access & Transportation Program (WATP) Sponsor:  Cuyahoga County Planning Commissioner and GCRTA Estimated Total Cost: $4,200,000 Proposed Source of Federal Funds: NOACA History/Background: The Work Access and Transportation Program (WATP) is a joint program between the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission (CCPC) and the Greater Cleveland Regional Transportation Authority (GCRTA). The program’s mission is "to support economic self-sufficiency by helping people overcome transportation barriers to work". CCPC is renewing its funding request for the WATP for January 2007. The original request was made in July 2003 and covered the three-year period from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2006. Beginning early in 2003, changes in the state budget and the loss of millions of dollars in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds by Cuyahoga County resulted in WATP receiving more than $400,000 less in TANF funds than anticipated. Although the program has been extremely successful in streamlining services and garnering more efficiencies out of existing resources to meet the reduction, WATP is now severely limited in its ability to address the needs of low-income workers trying to sustain self-sufficiency after they leave the Ohio Works First (OWF) cash assistance rolls. Despite the current service limitations, WATP has maintained a stable client base, and service requests have not decreased, further illustrating the demand for the Program. Contributions from the GCRTA and TANF, and continued support by NOACA at its existing level, will help ensure that WATP will be able to maintain existing services, and will have the ability to leverage these resources and meet Federal Transit Administration Job Access & Reverse Commute (FTA/JARC) grant match requirements. Current Conditions: Currently WATP has an operating budget of $1.4 million dollars annually. The budget supports WATP Reserved Ride Van Service, capital procurement purchases such as replacement vehicles, and the trip planning, counseling, information and referral services provided by the mobility specialists. WATP is currently funded by the FTA/JARC, GCRTA, and TANF, through Cuyahoga Employment & Family Services, and NOACA. The CCPC and the GCRTA, the agencies that administer the program, have estimated that it will cost approximately $ 4.2 million to maintain transportation services for WATP clients through December 31, 2009. Proposed Project:  The key components of the program include: Reserved Ride Van Services - A professional operator contracted by the GCRTA provides the WATP van services. The vans operate on a fixed schedule with pre-arranged reservations. Services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays. WATP vans provide transportation services to OWF cash recipients, other Cuyahoga County Employment & Family Services benefits groups, and low-income individuals traveling to work, job training or interviews in outlying employment centers and industrial parks unserved or underserved by the GCRTA. Designed to supplement GCRTA mainline bus and/or rail services, WATP vans also provide early morning, late-night, holiday, weekend and end-of-the-line shuttle services, (vans meet the bus or rail service at the end of the route, or at an identified location, and provide shuttle-type service down a remote employment corridor). WATP vans are also able to assist persons with disabilities going to work because many of the vans are wheelchair-accessible. Each month, WATP vans complete more than 4,000 unlinked one-way trips and serve an average of 200 registered clients and 70 employers throughout Cuyahoga County. Transportation Enhancements - As a part of its regular service improvement plan, the GCRTA, over the last five years, has modified, enhanced or extended more than 40 mainline bus and rail services to help workers get to hard-to-reach job locations. In addition, the WATP vans have served as demonstration models to show the need for the development of new, enhanced or extended GCRTA mainline services. Currently, there are two WATP van-derived services: the Solon 27F Flyer and the Beachwood 94 Cross-town Feeder. Mobility Specialists. WATP mobility specialists are co-located at several of the county's Neighborhood Family Service Centers to assist clients with customized trips plans, transit travel counseling and GCRTA route and schedule information. Emergency Ride Home. To ensure that individuals using WATP services are empowered to work and maintain family life, an emergency ride component provides transportation for individuals riding the vans. When a client emergency arises, the vans will pick up the client and take the individual home, to a medical facility, school or daycare. CCPC is requesting $2,145,000 or $715,000 annually in NOACA attributable funds for the Work Access & Transportation Program over a three-year period, from January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2009. Staff Comment (Summary): Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Team: At its March 17, 2006 meeting, the RTIS authorized staff to inform applicants that it is unlikely that any new application requesting federal Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds for 2006-2009 would be approved due to the funding shortfall. Because circumstances may change, we recommend that successful applications requesting funds for 2006-2009 be placed on the Transportation Plan (2010 and beyond). If funding becomes available, proposed projects can be considered for funding on a case-by-case basis. Criteria used by the RTIS for programming a project will include the status of other reservoir projects, project readiness, county targets, and type of project, project cost and Board priorities. Advance to committee and public review with the understanding that the sponsor will make a good-faith effort to address comments. Regional Transportation System (RTS) Team: Recommends participation in this program. Plan/Forecast Team: Recommend funding. Committee Review: Transit Council: The Transit Council supports the use of NOACA STP or CMAQ funds to help subsidize the GCRTA 2007-2009 Work Access and Transportation Program. The Council recommends TAC and Board approval. Regional Transportation Investment Subcommittee (RTIS)/Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC): Accept the Project Planning Review, amend the project to the Plan and develop strategies to enable the program to receive funds by January 2007. Intergovernmental Review and Consultation (IGRC): If you are a representative of a governmental entity and would like to comment on this project, please email us. Public Involvement: NOACA encourages comments from the public on this proposed transportation improvement project. Please notify us if you would like to be added to our e-mail notification list for future updates.