CNMI Office of Transit Authority gears up for full implementation

  Good news is on its way for the people of the CNMI who do not have direct access to private transportation from home to work, school, or medical appointments, according to Thomas J. Camacho, special assistant for public transportation.

Camacho is currently in California meeting with Raymond Sukys, director, Office of Planning and Program Development; Paul Page, community planner, and Audrey Bredehoft, transportation program specialists from Region 9 Federal Transit Authority to formally meet the Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority’s federal grantor.

Camacho also received a brief orientation of the FTA process and discussed future funding for COTA’s operation and management, as well as planning and expansion of transportation services in the Commonwealth, such as the current call-a-ride transportation service for people with disabilities and the man’amko; services to other residents or members of the community with limited to no access to transportation of their own; future fixed route system and revitalization of the ocean-going (ferry) vessel to serve our islands separated by water.

Camacho was joined by CNMI Council on Developmental Disabilities executive director Pam Sablan.

The CNMI DD Council initiated the Transportation Project back in 2002, when it launched the CNMI Call-a-Ride Transportation Service for people with disabilities and the man’amko. The council is currently the subrecipient of Section 5310 FTA formula grant under a memorandum of agreement with the Public School System.

Currently the operation and management of the Saipan Call-a-Ride is contracted out to the August Healthcare Group, LLC since it won the bid in 2011 to operate the system under a one-year contract with the CNMI DD Council. Two of the new accessible vans were purchased by PSS using FTA funds for the call-a-ride transportation system. The two vans and the transportation contract will transition from PSS to COTA by the end of July.

Prior to the Region 9 FTA meeting in San Francisco, Camacho attended a three-day comprehensive training in Phoenix, Arizona on TEAMS (Transportation Electronic Award Management System) and ECHO (Electronic Clearing House Operation) System web online training for new FTA grantees.

“This is where we learned about what TEAMS and ECHO are about and how to access and use this online application and reporting system for our FTA formula grant, grant activity progress, financial monitoring, reporting and accessing as well as drawing down of funds or payment request,” said Camacho.

Once all the preliminaries are completed, COTA will prepare and submit its FY2012 full amount of $1.1 million grant application. The formula grant application submission will be due on the first part of July 2012.

COTA was created under Public Law 17-43 signed by the Gov. Benigno R. Fitial on May 27, 2011.

On Aug. 11, 2011, Fitial officially created the Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority within the Office of the Governor and concurrently appointed Camacho as the CNMI’s first special assistant for public transportation.

Mandated by Public Law 17-43, a Commonwealth Public Transportation Advisory Board was also created and Camacho, by virtue of the enactment of PL. 17-43 into law and his official appointment to serve on the board by Fitial, became the first chairman of CPTAB while the rest of the Commonwealth Public Transportation advisory board members were officially appointed in March this year.

The initial CPTAB meeting will be held upon the return of Camacho to introduce and orient new members of their roles and responsibilities as advisory board members, present COTA’s approved organizational structure, expectations and plan of actions to be undertaken by COTA.

“During my tenure with the CNMI Council on Developmental Disabilities, the council received recommendations from the public and realized that the CNMI lacked available, accessible and reliable transportation service for people with disabilities and older adults. As a result, a Transportation Initiative was adopted under the council’s 5-year State Plan and started its services on Saipan, followed by Rota and Tinian. Today, because of the Council’s efforts, Saipan continues to show increasing transportation demand, while Tinian and Rota have not due to lack of funding and unavailable data,” said Camacho. “A new study will be undertaken by COTA to determine the level of public transportation needs on Rota and Tinian. In order to extend services to these two islands, we must first make a determination if a public transportation system is needed or if there is a demand.”

With respect to the ocean-going passenger ferry system, COTA and the Department of Public Works will work closely together to conduct a feasibility study of the ferry system and if the study justifies the need to revitalize the ferry, COTA will then work on securing the funding necessary to purchase the ferry boat(s) and required operational funds from FTA.

For more information about COTA, call 664-2200 or email tom.camacho@gov.mp. (Office of the Governor)