BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME:www.indybay.org PRODID:-//indybay/ical// v1.0//EN BEGIN:VEVENT UID:Indybay-18621191 SEQUENCE:18676695 CREATED:20090908T052400Z DESCRIPTION:Extensive Changes Proposed in Service Adjustments Plan--Community Workshops & Public Hearings Scheduled\nAC Transit Marketing\nHow to Comment \nBackground \nAdditional Links \nAll bus riders and others are invited to attend community workshops in September. At the eight workshops, AC Transit staff will present the proposed service changes comprising the 2009 Service Adjustments Plan and gather feedback from the public. \n\nTuesday, September 8, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.\nNorth Berkeley Senior Center\n1901 Hearst Avenue\nBerkeley\nTake the bus: Lines 51, 52L, 79, FS \n\nThursday, September 10, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.\nChange of venue--around the corner from Maple Hall!\nSan Pablo Senior Center\n1943 Church Lane\nSan Pablo\nTake the bus: Lines 72, 72R, 76, L \n\nSaturday, September 12, 10:30 a.m. - Noon \nAC Transit General Offices\n1600 Franklin Street, 2nd Floor Board Room\nOakland\nTake the bus: All lines serving downtown Oakland (also BART to 19th Street) \n\nSaturday, September 12, 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.\nIndependence Plaza\nRuth Rambeau Community Room\n703 Atlantic Avenue\nAlameda\nTake the bus: Lines 51, 63, O \n\nTuesday, September 15, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.\nCalifornia School for the Blind Theater\n500 Walnut Avenue\nFremont\nTake the bus: Lines 99, 215, 217 \n\nWednesday, September 16, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.\nFruitvale-San Antonio Senior Center\n3301 East 12th Street, Suite 201\nOakland\nTake the bus: Lines 1,1R, 14, 40, 53 (also BART to Fruitvale) \n\nThursday, September 17, 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.\nBayfair Center Community Room\nEast 14th Street & Fairmont Drive, 2nd floor (near escalator)\nSan Leandro\nTake the bus: Lines 1, 1R, 84, 93, 99 (also BART to Bay Fair) \n\nThursday, September 17, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.\nHayward City Hall\n777 B Street, Room 2A\nHayward\nTake the bus: Lines 80, 81, 83, 84, 86, 91, 92, 93, 95, 99, M (Also BART to Hayward) \n\nFollowing the community workshops, the AC Transit Board of Directors will hold two public hearings: \n\n\nWednesday, September 23, 2:00 p.m. -- 5:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. -- 8:00 p.m.\nAC Transit General Offices\n1600 Franklin Street, 2nd Floor Board Room\nOakland\nTake the bus: All lines serving downtown Oakland (also BART to 19th Street) \n\nWednesday, September 30, 6:00 p.m. -- 8:00 p.m.\nCalifornia School for the Blind Theater\n500 Walnut Avenue\nFremont\nTake the bus: Lines 99, 215, 217 \n\nAll workshop and public hearing locations are accessible by wheelchair. On-site or nearby parking is also available. \n\nTranslation Services\nSpanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, and ASL sign language interpreters can be provided, if needed. Please contact the AC Transit District Secretary's Office at (510) 891-4851 at least three days before the particular workshop or public hearing. For hearing-impaired only, please call TDD/TTY (800) 488-9790. \n\nHow to Comment\nIndividuals, organizations, and agencies may comment on the proposed service changes in a number of ways: \n\nSpeak at the community workshops or public hearings \nSubmit written comments at the community workshops or public hearings \nSubmit written comments, which must be received by 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, September 30, 2009\n--by mail to AC Transit Board of Directors, 1600 Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 94612 \n--by fax to (510) 891-4874\n--by email to planning@actransit.org\n--by online comment form \nLeave comments in a voicemail message by 8:00 p.m., September 30, 2009 by calling (510) 891-4854 \nFinalizing the Plan\nIn October, the Board will likely make its final decision on the service adjustments, taking into consideration all public comments received. The Board could accept, modify, reject, or defer each of the proposed changes. If service adjustments are adopted, they likely would be implemented in January 2010. \n\nBackground on Financial Situation\nLike all levels of government and virtually every business, industry and household, AC Transit is facing difficult financial times. Regrettably, rising costs and an unprecedented loss of revenue is forcing AC Transit to make some hard decisions to resolve a projected $57 million deficit. The bulk of this budget gap is the direct result of catastrophic cuts in state funding and a devastating decline in sales-tax revenue due to the souring economy. It's a daunting deficit that would be even higher were it not for passage of the Measure VV parcel tax last fall, and this summer's increase in bus fares. Despite layoffs and other belt-tightening strategies, there is no conceivable way to balance the budget without significant service reductions. \n\nHow the Plan Was Developed\nThe proposed Service Adjustments Plan would reduce annual service hours by about 15 percent. A reduction of this scale requires evaluation of each bus line in terms of ridership, operational efficiency, and importance in the overall East Bay transportation system. Staff has used every available source of data to do this evaluation, including stop-by-stop and time-of-day ridership numbers. \n\nIn May, AC Transit conducted a series of workshops specifically to talk with the public about service options and features, learning what each community considered to be important. The public responses were many and became key elements in what was ultimately crafted as the Service Adjustments Plan. Now, the second series of workshops will highlight those specific proposals, while again encouraging public review and discussion. Comments received at these workshops (as well as online, by fax, and by mail) will be incorporated into the public hearing record. \n\nSee FAQ on Service Adjustments Plan for more information on AC Transit's financial situation and the development of the plan. \n\nSee General Manager Memo 09-161a, August 26, 2009, for presentation to the AC Transit Board of Directors requesting public hearings on the plan. \n\nSee the proposed 2009 Service Adjustments Plan. \n\nSee San Pablo-Oakland map showing bus system as it would be if all proposed changes are adopted. \n\nSee San Leandro-Fremont map showing bus system as it would be if all proposed changes are adopted. \n\nPUT UP BY \n\nhttp://network.greenchange.org/me \n\nhttp://digitaldaq.deviantart.com/ \n\nhttp://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#... \n\nhttp://www.facebook.com/david.quinley?ref=... \n\n\n https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/09/07/18621191.php SUMMARY:AC Transit to Cut 15% budget - public meets on it in Sept start today LOCATION:http://www2.actransit.org/news/articledetail.wu?articleid=bab11473&PHPSESSID=75de2631f4acbbb11a855bf1dbfbf1fe URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/09/07/18621191.php DTSTART:20090912T173000Z DTEND:20090912T190000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR