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AGENCY NEWS

Agency News

Island Transit Update for September 26, 2024

Island Transit to Host Public Reception for Executive Director Finalists

Island Transit is pleased to announce a public reception to meet the finalists for the agency’s Executive Director position. This event will take place on Friday, October 11, 2024, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, at Island Transit’s Operations & Administration Building, 19758 SR 20, Coupeville. The reception provides an opportunity for the community and Island Transit employees to interact with the candidates, learn more about their professional backgrounds, and discuss their vision for the future of the organization. All members of the public are invited to attend, as their schedules allow, to engage in this voluntary event.

The reception will be followed by a series of interviews, including a managers’ panel and Board interviews, where each finalist will further discuss their qualifications and potential contributions to Island Transit’s mission and goals.

We understand there were concerns regarding the original list of candidates - After careful consideration and additional research we have modified this list and chosen not to move forward with one of our original finalists.

Below are brief biographies of each of the finalists:

Melinda Adams

Melinda Adams brings over 15 years of experience in public transit, having served with the City of Everett/Everett Transit in Washington State. Throughout her tenure, she has held multiple managerial roles, including Program Manager, Transportation Systems Manager, and currently, Transportation Services Manager. From March 2024 to June 2024, Ms. Adams served as Acting Director. Her extensive career includes active participation in regional committees such as the Regional Transportation Operators Committee, Snohomish County Public Information Officer Group, and Transit Executives Mobility Partnerships. She holds a BS in Business Management from the University of Phoenix.

Amber Wagner

Amber Wagner has over 25 years of public service. During this time, she has held multiple executive positions including Director of the Siouxland Regional Transit System, IA, Executive Director of the Chatham Transit Network, NC, Executive Director of the North Carolina Public Transit Association, NC and Transportation Mobility Administrator with the Pima Association of Governments/Regional Transportation Authority. Currently, Ms. Wagner is the Manager of the Transit Planning Division in the City of Asheville/Asheville Rides Transit, NC. Amber earned her Bachelor of Science in English with a minor in Psychology from the University of South Dakota.

Keith Hall

Keith Hall has been the Deputy Project Manager with Regional Transit District, CO since 2022. Prior to this experience he was the Director of Planning with Ben Franklin Transit, WA. Mr. Hall has held many executive roles throughout his career including being the CEO of the New Zealand Planning Institute. He was the Planning Manager of Jacobs (Metrolinx PMO) and Co-Owner of the Planning Studio LLC. Keith graduated from the School of Architecture with an MS degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Island Transit’s public reception for the Executive Director finalists is a unique opportunity for the community to meet and engage with these experienced leaders in transit. We encourage the public and staff to attend and be a part of this significant step in Island Transit’s leadership selection.

Media Contact: Selene Muldowney-Stratton, Marketing & Communications Officer

Office: 360-678-9519 Cell: 360-544-2015

Island Transit Update for September 26, 2024

Service Update

New Service Schedule goes into effect Sunday, September 29.

· Service Guides will be distributed to libraries, civic centers, senior centers, food banks, Chambers of Commerce, and medical facilities throughout Island County. If you have a location who needs/wants Service Guides – just let us know!

Email info@islandtransit.org

· Reminder Rt. 6 is servicing the Coupeville Ferry Terminal. On weekends you can catch the Zone 6 – remember to schedule two (2) hours in advance.

· Clinton Ferry commuters – all buses stopping at the ferry dock will take passengers to the Clinton Park & Ride upon request.

· Please check the time schedules for Rts. 1, 6, 411W, 58, and 60 for time changes.

Executive Director Search Update

The search for our new Executive Director continues. Applications have been reviewed and soon we are starting interviews. Want to meet the potential candidates? Members of the public are welcome to join us for an Open House on October 11 from 9:30am to 11:30am. More information will be posted with additional details in the coming days.

Other Exciting Agency News

Million Miler celebration this month – congratulations to Mike who celebrates 15 years of service with island Transit and a Million Miles of safe driving. That’s 40x round the earth or 67,000 miles driven a year over 15 years.

The Island Transit Million Mile Safe Driver Award is a program is designed to recognize and celebrate operators who have driven "one million miles" without a preventable accident. This prestigious award honors operators that have achieved an exceptional safety benchmark on the road.

Mark, another Million Mile Safe Driver and one of Island transit’s Roadeo champions celebrated an amazing milestone this week - 25 years!

Island Transit has a busy month attending events this October.

Attending Dia de Fiesta in Oak Harbor on October 5 in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and the Fall Festival at Victory Terrace for our military families.

We have just completed three recruitment events in September and look forward to welcoming new operators. Missed an event and want a chance to apply – we are scheduling three more events in October. Get the details here!

Did You Know?

A person can reduce his or her chance of being in an accident by more than 90% simply by taking public transit as opposed to commuting by car.

Island Transit Update for June 28, 2024

Service Update

Island Transit will make three changes effective Sunday July 7^th.

· Due to a staffing shortage, we will be cancelling the seasonal park route in Central Whidbey Island for the remainder of the summer.

· Effective July 7, 2024, the Clinton Commuter route will be cancelled. But no worries! The Route 1 Northbound bus will be taking over, following the same times and same bus stops/route as the Clinton Commuter.

· Route 6 will have a new schedule that returns the route to the Coupeville Ferry Terminal.

Due to the arrival of new drivers and other changes, there were ZERO cancellations of our core fixed route services this week.

Other Exciting Agency News

A new class of drivers just started training that includes drivers for both our Whidbey and Camano services.

Island Transit recently ordered 6 new Chrysler Pacifica minivans for our Rideshare program. All six minivans are plug-in electric hybrids which will reduce the greenhouse gas emissions.

-----> Not only does our Rideshare program reduce emissions by encouraging carpooling by commuters, but the vehicles they drive will have very low emissions compared to our older vehicles.

Did You Know?

34 million times each weekday, people board public transportation in the USA.

Island Transit Update for June 21, 2024

Starting this Friday the agency will be sharing weekly updates on services, routes, anticipated closures and/or deviations due to events and weather, board meetings, and other exciting news.

Service Update

Island Transit will make three changes effective Sunday July 7^th.

· Due to a staffing shortage, we will be cancelling the seasonal park route in Central Whidbey Island for the remainder of the summer.

· The Clinton Commuter route will also be cancelled. All buses departing the Clinton Ferry Dock will now visit the two park & ride lots in Clinton. All ferry commuters should utilize buses from routes 1, 58, or 60 to reach the nearby park and ride lots.

· Route 6 will have a new schedule that return the route to the Coupeville Ferry Terminal.

These changes should reduce or eliminate the need for any service cancellations due to staffing shortages until we can bring more drivers onboard.

Board of Directors Meeting

The board of directors will met on June 21^st in a special meeting. Some of the items discussed and decided on included:

· Approved the purchase six (6) vans for the Rideshare program

· Approved the purchase of a new vehicle communication system to replace the existing radio system

· Adjusted the time of regularly scheduled board meetings to occur at 9:00 AM instead of 9:30 AM

· Provided an update on the process to recruit an Executive Director. The agency has issued a Request For Proposals from firms that specialize in hiring executive staff for public agencies.

· There was an Executive Session regarding the performance of public employees but no action was taken following the end of that session.

**Please note - Executive sessions are closed to the public to allow for confidential discussions, but no action can be taken. Any action must take place in an open meeting after the conclusion of an executive session.

Complete agenda is found click here.

Other Exciting Agency News

Staff conducted 3 pop-up recruitment events to hire new drivers

Island Transit recently hosted a “bus rodeo” which is a driving competition in which drivers from 5 regional agencies participated. Participating guests came from King County Metro, Intercity Transit, Kitsap Transit, Jefferson Transit, and Community Transit. It was fun day for all involved.

Thank you to all Island Transit employees who made this event possible!

Did You Know?

In May, the International Bus Rodeo was held in Portland, OR. The top 4 best bus drivers were all from Washington State!