CHAPTER 6 6.1 PUBLIC TRANSIT 6.1.1 INTRODUCTION Eastgate’s urbanized area is often referred to as the Youngstown OH-PA urban area boundary. This bi-state urban boundary was re-designated by the 2010 Census and is illustrated in Map 6.1.1. The Bureau of the Census released the urban area populations on March 27, 2012. The Bureau of the Census establishes urbanized areas or clusters every ten years by identifying concentrations of urban populations and densities, within a census tract or block. The urban boundaries distinguish Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO’s), Transportation Management Areas (TMA), and population within an MPO and TMA area. The delineation of an urban area is pertinent to the distribution and allocation of several federal funding programs for highway and transit. Unlike highway funding that is distributed and programmed by each state, transit funding is distributed and programmed by the Youngstown, OH-PA urban boundary. Population and other factors are used by the transit systems to determine transit allocations for each state. The 2010 Census population for the Youngstown, OH-PA urban area is 387,550. The population of this bi-state region as documented in the previous 2000 Census was listed as 417,437. Within a ten year period, the population in this region decreased by 7.15 percent. The 2000 Urban Area Boundary Map is illustrated in Map 6.1.2. The illustration in Map 6.1.3 compares the 2000 and 2010 urbanized areas, as defined by the Census, which were added or deleted to the Youngstown, OH-PA bi-state region. The red shaded areas show that 30.2 square miles was added to the new urban boundary in 2010. The blue shaded areas indicate that 16.2 square miles was deleted from the 2000 urban area. Portions of Lawrence County, PA were added to the new urban boundary, and the urbanized area in Mercer County expanded. According to the 2010 Census, the total population in Mahoning County is 238,823, and 210,312 is listed for Trumbull County. Mercer and Lawrence County population is listed as 116,636, and 91,108 respectively. The 2010 Youngstown OH-PA Urban Area Boundary as illustrated in Map 6.1.3 incorporates the following areas in Pennsylvania: Clark and West Middlesex Boroughs, Shenango and South Pymatuning Townships, the City of Hermitage, and Lawrence County. Map 6.1.1 – Youngstown OH-PA 2010 Urban Area Boundary Map 6.1.2 – Youngstown OH-PA 2000 Urban Area Boundary Map 6.1.3 – 2000 and 2010 Youngstown OH-PA 2000 Urban Area Boundary Comparison Eastgate is only responsible for documenting and programming transit planning activities for the Western Reserve Transit Authority (WRTA), and a newly formed transit system in Trumbull County called the Trumbull Transit System (TTS), formerly known as Niles Trumbull Transit (NiTTS). The Mercer County Council of Government (MCCOG), and the Mercer County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MCMPO) manage the Shenango Valley Shuttle Service (SVSS), and transit funding is programmed in their locally developed TIP. Eastgate will continue to keep an open dialog with our sister agency in Mercer, PA through the Comprehensive, Coordinated, and Continuous “3C” planning process for regional transit planning activities in the bi-state urban area. The WRTA has been a regional transit authority since 1971, and is a designated recipient of federal transit funding in the Ohio portion of the urbanized area. The WRTA provides fixed route and paratransit services in Mahoning County, and in several areas of Trumbull County. The WRTA implemented the EasyGo County-wide demand response service for Mahoning County in 2009. The EasyGo incorporates transit services beyond their fixed route service area boundary map. The WRTA service area is illustrated in Maps 6.1.4, 6.1.5, and 6.1.6. Map 6.1.4 – Western Reserve Transit Authority Service Area Map 6.1.5 – Western Reserve Transit Authority Fixed Route System Map 6.1.6 – Western Reserve Transit Authority Night Service – Fixed Route System The public transit system in Trumbull County has been undergoing a major transition since 2011. The City of Warren is the designated recipient of federal transit funding for Trumbull County. The City of Warren on March 14, 2001, authorized the City of Niles as a “designated sub-recipient” of federal transit funding for Trumbull County. The City of Niles notified the Trumbull County Commissioners on April 7, 2011, that they were contemplating relinquishing the management and operations of the Niles Trumbull Transit System (NiTTS). The City of Niles managed the operations of NiTTS from September 15, 2003 until January 7, 2012. The operation of NiTTS was delivered by a private sector provider through a capital cost of contract with the City of Niles. Currently, the City of Niles no longer assumes the grantee role of “designated sub-recipient status” of federal transit funding for Trumbull County. On December 14, 2011, the City of Warren terminated the arrangement of “designated sub-recipient” with the City of Niles, which was recorded in Warren’s Ordinance Number 12376/11. The City of Warren also integrated in this ordinance that the newly formed Trumbull County Transit Board (TCTB) would assume the grantee role of “designated sub-recipient status” of federal transit funding for Trumbull County. The newly formed TCTB would therefore manage a demand response transit system in Trumbull County similar to NiTTS. The transit system in Trumbull County is now referred to as Trumbull Transit System (TTS). The legal documentation on the transit transition continued as the Trumbull County Commissioners formed the TCTB on July 27, 2011. This board was formed in accordance with the Ohio Revised Code Sections 306.01 through 306.13, and is recorded in the Trumbull County Commission’s Journal - Volume 136, Page 16099. On December 28, 2011, the TCTB would assume the existing contract that the City of Niles had with a private sector provider to provide transit services in Trumbull County. This was documented in a “Comfort Letter” between the TCTB and the private sector provider. It is also understood by all parties that the TCTB does not have the financial capacity by which it can make an allocation to accept the financial terms and conditions of the existing contract. This arrangement was formally documented in the TCTB Resolution Number 2012-5 on January 23, 2012. The TCTB continues to manage the operations of the TTS and will continue to secure funding in 2012 or 2013. As Trumbull County continues through this transit transition, Eastgate will continue to document the transit service as it currently stands for the publication of this FY2013-FY2017 TDP. It is proposed that the TCTB will continue to operate the same service area that NiTTS previously provided in Trumbull County. This is illustrated in Map 6.1.7. Currently, it is anticipated that the TCTB will enter into written agreements with several participating communities that have agreed to pay a per capital fee for the use of this service; and residents living in those communities would receive a discounted fare. Map 6.1.7 – Trumbull Transit System Service Area The City of Niles previously had this type of funding arrangements with different communities, cities, villages and townships as illustrated in Map 6.1.8. Map 6.1.8 – Trumbull Transit System Participating Communities The transit system that operates in the urban area of Pennsylvania is called the Shenango Valley Shuttle Service (SVSS). The City of Sharon is the designated recipient of transit funding for the Pennsylvania portion of the urban area. The SVSS provides fixed route bus service for the Cities of Sharon, Farrell, Hermitage; and the Borough’s of Sharpsville, and Wheatland. For additional information on the SVSS, visit their website at: http://svss.mcrcog.com. In late December 2009, ODOT’s Office of Transit and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Region – V, requested that all designated Metropolitan Planning Organizations in Ohio assist them with collecting and updating the local transit agencies authorized “Designated Recipients” status of FTA’s Urbanized Area Formula Programs. On January 25, 2010, Eastgate’s General Policy Board approved Resolution #063-2009 re-affirming that the authorized “Designated Recipients” of FTA’s funding programs for the Ohio portion of Eastgate’s urbanized area, are the Western Reserve Transit Authority and the City of Warren. The complexity to re-designate a bi-state urban area for FTA formula programs would require all designated recipients operating in the bi-state urban area to agree on adding or deleting any current or future designated recipients. That process would require the following agencies to concur on any designation changes for our urban area: Eastgate, the Mercer County Regional Planning Commission, the Mercer County Council of Governments, the Mercer County Metropolitan Planning Organization, and the Governor’s from Ohio and Pennsylvania. Eastgate, in consultation with all the agencies listed above, agreed that it would be best to leave the designations as they exist today. With the addition of a small portion of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania incorporated in the 2010 Youngstown OH-PA urban area, it is likely that a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between OH and PA will be developed with our sister agencies in PA. Since Lawrence County is located within Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), Eastgate and Mercer will coordinate the development of a new MOU. For additional information on SPC, visit their website at: http://www.spcregion.org/about.shtml. 6.1.2 SYSTEM DESCRIPTION WRTA Goals The following goals were created in 1984 by the WRTA Board of Directors and remain in effect today. • To increase the service area of the WRTA. • To provide transit service at a reasonable cost for the transit user, and the taxpayers supporting the system.