STA 12th Annual Awards

The 12th Annual STA Awards were held at the Jelly Belly Grand Bean Ballroom in Fairfield on November 4, 2009. More than 175 people attended the event, which was hosted by Solano County Supervisor and STA Chair Jim Spering.

Winners

• Agency of the Year
• Advisory Committee Member of the Year
• Project of the Year
• Safety Project of the Year
• Transit Employee of the Year
• Business of the Year
• Partner of the Year

• Project Delivery of the Year
• Planning/Transportation for Livable Communities
• State/Federal Elected Official of the Year
• Special Awards

Download the Awards Press Release (162 KB, PDF)

View the Awards "Progress through Partnership" PowerPoint Presentation (10 MB, PDF)

View photos taken at the Awards Ceremony on the Solanolinks Picasa website.

Agency of the Year
City of Vacaville

• The Padan School Road Extension improved traffic circulation and safety around two private schools, and a public High School and Elementary school.

• The Safe Routes to School Pedestrian Safety Project at Peabody Road and Marshall Road was identified in the STA's Safe Routes to School Program as the highest priority project in Vacaville.

• The GPS Opticom Emergency Vehicle Preemption and Transit Priority System (Phase I) utilizes new radio and GPS traffic signal technology to reduce emergency vehicle response times and transit vehicle delays at 20 intersections throughout the City.

• The installation of over 40 traffic signal vehicle detection cameras will meet the new state law that requires traffic signal upgrades to include effective bicycle and motorcycle detection.

• The 2009 Roadway Overlay and Restriping Project represents the City's timely delivery of a primary ARRA Stimulus Plan funded roadway project.

Advisory Committee Member of the Year
Shirley Stacy , Paratransit Coordinating Council

• Shirley Stacy has been a Paratransit Coordinating Council member since 2007.  Shirley is an active user of paratransit services and a true advocate for clients who use the service. 

• Shirley volunteered to sit on the user panel for the Senior and Disabled Transportation Summit held in June, to help identify the transportation issues for seniors and disabled in Solano County. 

• Shirley Stacy spreads the word about the PCC's key activities of outreach, projects and funding.  She actively invites guests to attend the meetings and recruits new members. Her active role within the community and her position as advocate for the seniors and disabled in Solano County are commendable.

Project of the Year
Central County Bikeway Gap Closure, City of Suisun City

• The Central County Bikeway has regional significance and serves a sizable bicycling population linking to bicycle facilities in Cordelia, Fairfield, Vacaville, Travis Air Force Base and Rio Vista, and was one of five Countywide priorities identified by the STA's Bicycle Advisory Committee.

• This last segment entailed constructing a 10-foot wide concrete bike/pedestrian trail from Marina Boulevard to the Suisun/Fairfield multi-modal station, as well as installing fencing, curbs/gutters, storm drain facilities, striping and signs; relocating street light fixtures, and installation of a prefabricated bridge.

• This challenging project was made possible through the support of many funding agencies and allocations including MTC, STA, BAAQMD, Caltrans, CA State Parks & Recreation Dept, and the City of Suisun City, and the full support of the STA, and the Countywide Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committees.

Safety Project of the Year
Sunset & Railroad Avenue Intersection Improvements,
City of Suisun City

• The Sunset & Railroad Avenue Improvements project set out to improve the safety along this corridor between Fairfield and Suisun City, an intersection with one of the highest rates of collisions in Solano County.

• Partnering with the Public Utilities Commission and UPRR, the City designed a new widened roadway with raised medians and a new street light that interconnected with the railroad and other intersections to regulate traffic flow and turning movements.

• This project has enhanced the traffic safety demands between two communities with transit buses, automobiles, bicycles, pedestrians, and railway crossing.

Transit Employee of the Year
David Renschler , City of Fairfield

• David Renschler is the Vehicle Maintenance Manager for the City of Fairfield and is responsible for keeping over 400 vehicles in the City's fleet safe, healthy, and on the road, while establishing and maintaining a team atmosphere.

• David has worked hard to increase his technical skills and take leadership roles within the City and amongst his peers in the fleet maintenance industry. Last year he taught a "Fleet Management in Public Works" seminar for the APWA Northern California Chapter and presented at their annual Public Works conference in San Ramon this year.

• The City of Fairfield was recently recognized as one of the 100 Best Fleets in North America by Government Fleet Magazine and also received a Certificate of Achievement this year from the California Highway Patrol.

Business of the Year
Goodrich Corporation, Fairfield

• Isolated in the hills outside of Fairfield and Suisun City which limits the commute options for its employees, Goodrich Corporation (Propulsion Systems and Aircraft Interior Products) takes an active approach to encourage the use of transportation alternatives among their 185 employees. Goodrich offers its own carpool incentive program, which is rare among businesses in Solano County.

• Over the past year, Goodrich has actively promoted the 3rd Annual Solano Commute Challenge, Bike to Work Week, and continues to offer the Emergency Ride Home program.

• Goodrich has been a "Commute Champion Workplace" in the Solano Commute Challenge two years in a row. In 2008, more than 80% of Goodrich participating employees were Commute Champions.

Partner of the Year
Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority

• The Capitol Corridor consistently provides 90% or better on-time performance, has an almost un-heard-of farebox recovery of 45%, a steady growth in ridership, and new rail equipment - without additional state funds.

• The Capitol Corridor has demonstrated its passenger service commitment to Solano County for the Fairfield-Vacaville train station and solid support for obtaining a similar commitment for the Dixon station.

• Eugene Skoropowski has been Managing Director of the CCJPA for 10 years, and is retiring at the end of 2009. The future of the Capitol Corridor passenger rail service looks bright due in large part to Gene's leadership.

Project Delivery of the Year
City of Suisun City Public Works Department

• The Sunset Avenue/Railroad Avenue Improvements set out to improve the safety along Sunset Avenue/ Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR)/ Railroad Avenue corridor between Fairfield and Suisun City, an intersection with one of the highest rates of collisions in Solano County.

• The Central County Bikeway Gap Closure Project completed the last segment of the Central County Bikeway in Suisun City. This bikeway has regional significance and this last segment connects the existing trail segments in the City to the multi-modal transportation station, Historic Waterfront Downtown District, and the overhead bridge crossing to downtown Fairfield and Solano County offices.

• The Harbor Center Street Improvement Project was a major undertaking to construct a new public street where the private Harbor Center driveway existed. The project improves pedestrian and local traffic circulation in and around the train station, park-and-ride lot, One Harbor Center office building and the new hotel.

• Each of the projects had its own unique complexities and permitting challenges and was a group effort involving partnership with the utility companies, other cities, countywide stakeholder groups, and the Union Pacific Railroad.

Planning/Transportation for Livable Communities
City of Rio Vista Waterfront Specific Plan

• This plan provides public improvements including a shoreline walking-bicycle path, landscaping, new boat docks and flood control improvements.

• The Waterfront Project is planned to provide access for people walking and biking from the north to south sides of town as an attractive alternative to driving.  The Plan creates a blueprint for private redevelopment of a potential mix of uses, a goal of the STA’s TLC program.

• Funding for the project included Clean Air Program funds from the Yolo Solano Air Quality Management District, TLC planning funds from the STA, and Proposition 40 funds from the California State Parks Dept.

State/Federal Elected Official of the Year
The Honorable George Miller, 7th Congressional District

• Congressman Miller has represented the 7th Congressional District, which includes the cities of Vacaville and Vallejo and a portion of unincorporated Solano County, for the past thirty-four years.

• He has successfully landed Federal Transportation Appropriations earmarks for the Vallejo Ferry Station since 2001, and the first phase is now fully funded.

• This year Congressman Miller partnered with Senator Dianne Feinstein in submitting a $45 million authorization request to fund the I-80/I-680/SR 12 Interchange project to help accelerate the project development activities for the full interchange and the construction of the next phase of the project.

• Congressman Miller's partnership with Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher to obtain a $17.48 million earmark for the I-80/I-680/SR 12 Interchange in the 2004 House version of the Federal Transportation Reauthorization bill resulted in the largest Reauthorization earmark for a highway project in the Bay Area.

• Congressman Miller's request of $2.5 million for alternative fuel intercity buses in Solano County and $2 million for Phase 2 of the Vacaville Intermodal Station through a combination of authorization and appropriations earmarks demonstrates his support of projects that assist with state and regional goals for decreasing Solano County's carbon footprint.
  

Special Awards

Eugene Skoropowski,
Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority

• Gene has been the Managing Director of the Capitol Corridor passenger rail service for 10 years. During that time, the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority has been a consistent, reliable partner of the STA, and has overseen a major increase in passenger rail service for the entire Capitol Corridor system.

• Gene brought years of rail experience with him when he came to the Capitol Corridor in 1999. His knowledge of the rail business is clearly respected by the Union Pacific Railroad Company, the owner and operator of the tracks on which the Capitol Corridor trains travel.

• Gene rides the rails, he communicates with the riding public and with the elected officials and staffs of the agencies that make up the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, he takes service delays personally, and he constantly works to improve the service provided to Capitol Corridor customers.

• Gene has focused on providing a quality service to his customers, making sure the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority knows what its customers want.

• Gene was instrumental in furthering the Bahia Cross-Over, an improvement largely invisible to the public but vital to on-time performance. The Bahia cross-over provides an opportunity for trains to switch tracks just east of Benicia, rather than waiting until either Suisun City or Martinez. This removes conflicts between trains, especially passenger and freight, reduces delays and improves on-time performance.

• Gene worked with the STA and the City of Fairfield to receive approval of the Capitol Corridor Board and the Union Pacific Railroad for passenger service at the Peabody Road site; a notable milestone in the future rail station being planned by the City of Fairfield.

• He has also worked with STA and the City of Dixon to begin a similar process to bring passenger rail service to Dixon.

• The number and frequency of passenger trains has increased. On-time performance has improved to a consistent 90% or more. The number of passengers and revenue has steadily increased. Track improvements have been built, and a new rail service agreement for the Fairfield/Vacaville station has been signed. Farebox recovery hovers near 45%, an un-heard of figure for public transit service.

• Gene will be missed here in the Bay Area, and the STA congratulates him on his many rail achievements for the Capitol Corridor.

Caltrans District 4, Pave I-80 Public Outreach Program

• By the end of 2009, Caltrans will have completed the rehabilitation of 27 miles of badly deteriorated pavement on I-80 from Tennessee Street in Vallejo to Leisure Town in Vacaville. The projects totaling over $125 million include widening the shoulders to current standards and upgrading the existing metal beam guard railing with concrete barrier.

• Caltrans, in partnership with the Solano Transportation Authority, will also complete the $50 million project to construct 8.7 miles of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes in both directions of I-80 between Red Top Road and Air Base Parkway in Fairfield.

• To complete this major construction on I-80, beginning in January 2008 Caltrans undertook a successful in-depth public outreach campaign including public open houses, direct mailings, the I-80 Caravan Program, I-80 Message Board Notifications, www.Pave80.com, regular mass e-mails of pending lane closures, and regular STA Board updates. Above all, Caltrans and their contractors got the work done so that progress was seen to the motoring public every day.

• The completion of the pavement rehabilitation projects have resulted in a much smoother and quieter ride for the 150,000 motorists who use I-80 in Solano County daily.

• The HOV project is the first project in the Bay Area to be funded by Proposition 1B's Corridor Mobility Improvement Account. The new 8.7-mile carpool lane between Red Top Road and Air Base Parkway will add much needed capacity to address recent growth and reduce travel delays and congestion for commuter and recreational traffic to and from the Bay Area.

• To undergo construction along 27 miles of I-80, the public was impacted. Measure of successes to a public outreach program include: did the public become informed of the need for the work, the immediate impacts of the work, the time line of the disruption, and the ultimate improvements? This public outreach program accomplished these goals.