The Metro Board of Directors met on Thursday, August 25, for their regular monthly meeting. The agenda is above. You can also peruse through the agenda, staff reports and attachments on this page on metro.net. A link to a recording of meeting’s webstream is here.

Among the items that the Board tackled at the meeting:

–The Board adopted draft guidelines for the Measure M policy that calls for jurisdictions to contribute 3% of the cost of Metro transit projects within their boundaries. The new guidelines are intended to help jurisdictions fulfill that requirement. Staff report

–The Board approved a $44-million contract with Valley Transit Partners for pre-construction services on the G Line Improvements Project. The proposed upgrades to the busway include a bridge over Van Nuys and Sepulveda boulevards, new traffic signal priority technology and railroad-style gates at key intersections to reduce accidents and speed up buses. Staff report

–The Board approved a new five-year collective bargaining agreement with SMART, the union that represents bus and rail operators and schedule analysts. As part of the contract, the starting hourly pay for bus operators rises to $23 an hour — which should help us recruit and retain new bus operators. Staff report and Source post.

–The Board approved a $499,000 contract modification to replace the final 600 fabric seats on our subway vehicles for the B/D Lines with vinyl seats. We’ve so far replaced 9,600 seats with vinyl, which is easier to maintain and clean. The contract modification will also supply additional vinyl seats as needed. Staff report

–The Board approved a supplemental analysis for the Rail to River Project that includes the recommendation to keep Randolph Street as the preferred alignment. The project is building a new pedestrian and bike path. The first phase is called Rail to Rail and will run from the K Line’s Fairview Heights Station to the A Line’s Slauson Station. This section broke ground earlier this summer. The second phase – called Rail to River – will run from Slauson Station to the L.A. River. In total, the new trail will be 10 miles long and will make it nicer and safer for walkers and cyclists to travel east-west in South L.A. to reach the K Line, J Line, A Line and many other bus lines, as well as the future West Santa Ana Branch light rail project. Staff report

–The Board approved a public-private partnership agreement with PCS Energy LLC for the amount of $1 million to install solar panels on the rail car maintenance facility to be built in Van Nuys as part of the light rail project between Van Nuys and the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink Station (the project’s formal name is the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor). Having a public-private partnership as part of the project makes it eligible for a Federal Transit Administration grant of $908 million. The solar panels are expected to provide 70 percent of the power needed to run the maintenance facility. Staff report

–The Board approved a $7.99-million pre-construction services contract with Flatiron-Myers Joint Venture for the I-105 ExpressLanes project. The Measure M project will convert the existing HOV Lane to an ExpressLane and add a second ExpressLane on the 105 in both directions between the 405 and Studebaker Road in Norwalk. The first phase of the project will be between the 405 and 110. Staff report

–The approved Metro participating in a Joint Powers Authority to plan and build the High Desert Corridor high-speed rail line between Palmdale and the Apple Valley. The rail line would connect the Metrolink and state high-speed rail station in Palmdale to the proposed Brightline West high-speed rail line between Victorville and Las Vegas. Staff report

–The Board adopted findings that will allow the Metro Board to continue meeting virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Board has met virtually since March 2020. Staff report