EXHIBIT “A”
SCOPE
OF WORK
Task 1.
Analysis and Policy Recommendations for the Guemes island
Ferry Schedule
A. Analyze current
operational and financial implications of schedule policies and
practices.
The Management
Analysis report serves as a good starting point for this analysis.
Additional issues to assess include service demand by time of day,
day of week and season; and capacity and cost impacts of operating
the current schedule. In this analysis, special attention will be
paid to the summer season.
Assess how the schedule has changed over time, with emphasis on
the last five years.
Assess the financial
and operational impacts of shifts in demand and in scheduled service.
Conduct interviews
with the Ferry Manager, crew and Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC)
members to identify key schedule issues and recurring anomalies.
Develop a profile of the demand for chartered and special service,
and service beyond the regularly scheduled hours of operation, i.e.
service for which the County incurs overtime costs.
B. Address Growth
Management and level of service (LOS) issues and requirements. A
starting point for this assessment is the LOS currently contained
in the County’s budget document. Discuss LOS issues and requirements
with County staff and develop a framework for incorporating LOS
considerations into the analysis and policy development process.
C. Identify
and analyze alternatives to the schedule, including cost and revenue
impacts.
•
Review and incorporate Ferry rider preferences and comments from
the Management Analysis survey.
• If
the demand analysis supports it, consider development of peak
and nonpeak schedules (i.e. summer and non-summer).
• Assess the opportunities and impacts of pre-ticketing, including
use of part time employees to sell tickets at peak periods.
• Develop
a recommended schedule policy and present it to staff, the FAC
and the County Commissioners.
• Work with the County to update its posted schedule, including
development of sailing times from Guemes Island to Anacortes.
Task 2.
Ferry Financial Analysis and Fare Policy Recommendations
In
order to make good decisions about the Ferry schedule and level of service
to be provided, the County needs full understanding of the Guemes Island
Ferry’s ridership, financial status and operational and capital
funding needs. Subtasks to be accomplished are:
A. Obtain and
analyze historical and current ridership, revenue and cost information
and fare policies.
• Work
with the Public Works Department to obtain all relevant Ferry
data and financial reports.
• Review
and assess the Ferry operations funding components - farebox,
County and State funding - from 1990 to the present. Assess the
trend by funding source and the overall funding situation.
•
Review and assess the Ferry operations costs from 1990 to the present.
Assess trends by cost component and the Ferry operation’s
overall cost structure. Include an assessment of the costs of providing
special service (beyond regularly scheduled service).
• Review
and assess changes to the cost structure related to new labor
agreements and costs associated with implementing key recommendations
of the Management Analysis.
• Document
and assess current fare policies, including County Commission
resolutions related to the Ferry schedule and fares. Develop an
understanding of the impact of the fare resolutions on fare policies
and Ferry System financial performance.
• Review
materials and conduct interviews as necessary to understand potential
future County and State funding scenarios and options.
B. Analyze ridership
demand to determine trends and key issues.
• Develop
a ridership database and model to reflect ridership by day of week
and by season. The database should reflect ridership demand by type
of sailing, with particular emphasis on the Monday-Thursday evening
sailings, early morning and mid-day sailings.
• Review
ridership information in the Guemes Island Capital Facilities Plan
2001-2015, and assess historical and projected ridership trends
by category (vehicle and passenger).
• Consider
the impact of new development and population growth on Guemes Island,
as documented in the Capital Facilities Plan, on ridership growth.
• Develop
10-year ridership growth projections necessary for the financial
analysis.
Task 3.
Technical Assistance in Chartering the Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC)
A. Assist the
County in forming a newly chartered Ferry Advisory Committee.
• Work
with County staff to develop an appropriate FAG charter, Committee
operating principles and procedures.
• Discuss
options for Committee membership given the schedule and fare policy
issues to be addressed.
• Determine
a Committee meeting schedule and workplan, given the overall Implementation
Plan work scope and schedule.
B. Design and
implement a process to present and discuss Ferry fares, service and
schedule issues with the FAC.
C. Prepare initial
FAG member briefing materials, including outlining a Committee work
scope for the first year. The work scope will include discussion of
Ferry ridership demand, capacity and service costs, Ferry finances
and rate policy options, Ferry schedule issues and alternatives, and
other key policy topics.
Task 4.
Facilitation of FAC Meetings to Address Schedule and Fare Policy Issues
A. Prepare for
and facilitate a series of up to seven monthly meetings with the FAC
and County staff.
• Present
summary discussion materials showing the issues and implications
of current rate and schedule policies, and facilitate Committee
discussion of alternatives.
• Work
with the FAC to develop recommended policy alternatives, for presentation
to the County Commission.
B. Conduct meeting
planning and coordination.
• Coordinate
meeting planning, agendas and next steps with County staff.
• Prepare
meeting agendas and summaries of Committee discussions.
Task 5.
Planning and Facilitation of Public Meetings to Address Schedule and
Fare Policy Issues
• Working
with staff and members of the FAC, plan and coordinate two public
meetings: one to address schedule issues and options, and the second
to address revenue and fare issues and options.
• Prepare
meeting materials, handouts and meeting announcements for publication
in the Evening Star and on the County’s web site.
• Prepare
for and attend the two meetings.
• Prepare
meeting summaries.
C. Review and
analyze the current fare structure and its impacts on ridership growth
and revenues.
• Review
the Ferry tariff for consistency with current practices. Conduct
interviews with the Ferry Manager, crew and FAG to identify key
anomalies or areas needing to be addressed.
• Review
and analyze the frequent rider program, including its history, ridership
and rates. Assess the relationship between passenger fares and frequent
rider fares. Assess the impact of the program on ridership grow.
• Document
and analyze fare categories including oversize and commercial vehicle
tariffs, peak season surcharge, youth and senior discount fares
and special service rates.
D. Develop a Guemes Ferry financial model, incorporating ridership,
revenue source and costs.
• Prepare
a financial assessment of current operations - with current schedule,
service provided, and staffing deployment.
• Assess
the financial impact of the 2002 schedule and service provided at
overtime rates.
• Assess
current Ferry financial policies, including County resolutions and
their impact, and state and County subsidy levels.
• Assess
the role of farebox revenues and structure in the context of financial
sustainability for the Ferry operation.
E. Develop and
analyze alternative service and fare structure scenarios. Based on
the scenarios and discussions with the County, develop a set of recommended
fare policies. Variables to analyze and discuss will include:
• Farebox
recovery policies and options
• Ridership
growth
• Regular
fares for passengers and vehicles
• Frequent-user
fares
• Oversize
and commercial discount policies
• Peak
season surcharges
•Youth
and senior discounts
F. Develop a framework and financial assessment for Ferry capital
needs.
• Meet
with County staff to discuss capital needs, timing and funding options.
• Based
on the Guemes Island Capital Facilities Plan 2001-2015, assess capital
facilities needs and costs for the planning period.
• Identify
near and mid-term Ferry capital facility requirements, costs and
funding approaches.
• Develop
a recommended funding approach and set of policies to address Ferry
capital requirements.
Task 6.
Technical Assistance in Developing a Guemes Island Ferry Operations
Manual
Currently, Non-Safety
Policy and Procedures are either verbally communicated, based upon historical
knowledge of the crews working on the vessels, or are in the form of
memos issued from various managers in the Public Works Department. The
development of a Ferry Operations Manual will serve to communicate and
standardize the Policy and Procedures. A program for review and systematic
update f Policies and Procedures needs to be developed and implemented
to ensure the manuals are updated.
A. Review and
assess all documented and undocumented Policies and Procedures to
facilitate an analysis of existing status. Prepare a matrix of all
Policy and Procedures, documented and undocumented, that identifies
current status. Review current status of the Policies and Procedures
with County staff, and gain concurrence on gaps for new Policy and
Procedures that need to be developed.
B. Develop Policy
and Procedures that are undocumented or need to be revised.
• Work
with staff to identify the County’s Goals and Objectives for
the operations of the Ferry, and assess the Policy and Procedures
for consistency with the Goals and Objectives.
• Work
with staff to revise existing and/or create new Policy and Procedures.
C. Formulate the
conceptual structure for the Ferry Operations Manual.
• Develop
a structure for the Manual and review with County staff.
• Identify
major Manual categories and Policy and Procedures required for each
category.
• Identify
Procedures and Forms that need to be included or developed for each
category.
• Develop
a standardized format for Policy and Procedures.
• Facilitate
the development of a program for review and systematic update of
Policies and Procedures to ensure the manuals are timely.
D. Prepare draft
Ferry Operations Manual.
• Work
with County staff to prepare the Policies and Procedures utilizing
the agreed-upon format.
• Develop
Procedures and Forms required for each category.
• Assemble
major categories and supporting Policy, Procedures, forms and flowcharts.
• Meet
with County staff to review and comment on the draft Manual.
Task 7.
Project management Meeting and Reports
A. Prepare for
and attend monthly project team meetings with Public Works staff to
discuss work-in-progress, key findings and alternative scenarios.
B. Prepare for
and attend up to three briefings with the County Commissioners.
C. Prepare for
and attend one public hearing on the fare and schedule proposal.
D. Prepare a draft
and final summary report for the Implementation Plan project, including
a summary of FAC issues and recommendations, and public outreach conducted.
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