GRAND FORKS – Members of the Grand Forks City Council considered approving a Cities Area Transit contract agreement with UND to provide public transportation services on campus.
While the city has been providing public transportation services on UND’s campus for the past year and has been billing the university for doing so, a formal, written, five-year agreement with the university was discussed by council members during Monday's Committee of the Whole meeting.
If all agree, the city will provide rides to UND students as well as faculty and staff who swipe their ID cards to use the buses. If students, staff and faculty don’t show a valid ID, they will be charged the full adult cash fare of $1.50 per one-way ticket.
For students, the city will submit a monthly bill to UND’s Student Government for $0.75 per every one-way ride given with a valid ID. For faculty and staff, the city will submit a monthly bill to UND Facilities for $1.30 per every one-way ride given with a valid ID.
Public Transportation Division Director Dale Bergman said the ID card numbers will allow for determining whether a rider is a student or a facility/staff member. That will determine what the city will bill for the ride.
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Dial-A-Ride services also will be available to anyone possessing a valid para transit Dial-A-Ride card. Eligible UND students, faculty and staff riders with disabilities who qualify for Dial-A-Ride service and have a valid ID will ride for free, while all other Dial-A-Ride users will pay the current Dial-A-Ride rate of $3 per ride.
Student Government and UND Facilities both will be billed $3 per ride for eligible students, faculty and staff riders.
Within the agreement the city will ensure all buses are well maintained and will provide Student Government and UND Facilities with promotional maps, user guides and UND ridership statistics on the C.A.T system and Dial-A-Ride system on a monthly and annual basis.
City Administrator Todd Feland said the services will be available during the fall and spring semesters, but not during the summer.
In other council news Monday:
- Council members discussed a Task Order Agreement with the engineering firm Webster, Foster & Weston in the amount of $190,000 for the design, bidding and construction administration for replacing the controls and drives in three of the 12 flood pump stations owned by the city. The replacements that will be installed will utilize new technology while equipment removed during the process will be salvaged and placed in storage for spare parts for five other stations using original equipment. City Engineer Al Grasser said the electronics that are currently in the stations are getting old and dated as the stations are close to 20 years old. Grasser said with their age, finding spare parts for the equipment has been getting more difficult.
- The council listened to the bids received for street maintenance winter rentals to include five motor graders and three payloaders. Of the two bids received, Public Works Director Sharon Lipsh recommended the council award the bid to RDO Equipment Company, the lowest bidder, in the amount of $272,188.60 per season at a total of $1,360,943 over five years.
