Minutes from the general meeting held on 2nd September 2021
DVTI Meeting
September 2, 2021
Present: Matt Alfano, Beth Arman, Colleen Awad, Rebecca Barrett, Ryan Buckley, Kevin Cabral, Nichol Carranza, Robert Carrera, Ed Del Beccaro, Sam Driggers, Vickie Gordon, Tim Haile, Joellen Heaney, Olivia Herriford, Kwame Reed, Charlie Shi, Sean Trambley, Linsey Willis
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Ryan opened the meeting at 3:01 pm.
Approval of August 5, 2021 Minutes: Motion: Ed; 2nd: Vickie; Unanimous
Public Comments:
Linsey: CCTA did a survey of residents who live along the Interstate 680 corridor as part of the Innovate 680 program:
Ryan: Finalizing DVTI membership survey within a few days. Please provide feedback on what DVTI means to you.
Tech Sales Course Update (Ryan): Course got another approval from the Curriculum Committee. Next step is getting load approval, and it can be offered on an experimental basis in spring. Would appreciate your help promoting the course since it is not in the catalog. Please get the word out and make sure the community is aware of the course and potential benefits.
CCTA & GoMentum Panel Q&A (Tim Haile, Contra Costa Transportation Authority and Matt Alfano, A3Ventures):
CCTA is working with Verizon and Amazon on three projects:
Rossmoor First Mile/Last Mile Shared Autonomous Vehicles: Testing second generation of shared autonomous vehicles. Testing two local volume shuttles.
Personal Mobility on Interstate 680: How to use 10-15% penetration of autonomous with non-autonomous vehicles. How can we synchronize to improve traffic flow on the 680 corridor?
County Hospital Accessible Transportation: Working with County Hospital in Martinez providing transportation to and from appointments for patients.
Why GoMentum?
To create jobs and economic development.
To track the tech industry in Contra Costa county and work closely with city of Concord to use GoMentum stations to achieve their goals.
Workforce Development: We support STEM programs in Contra Costa county. Helped Pittsburg High School with a grant to add an autonomous vehicle shop and car. Looking at Ygnacio Valley High School’s STEM program.
GoMentum is a test bed for emerging new technology in vehicles. We are leveraging in ways to help the community and attract jobs.
Q&A:
Q. What is the multiplier effect? Will there be an ecosystem for engineers, mechanics, etc.? A: While there have been no specific studies, there is huge potential in terms of manufacturing, especially as we look to implement Glydways.
Q. Are you pursuing any federal support, such as a Build Back Better grant or a workforce development grant? Partnerships? A. We are always interested in pursuing partnerships and grants. If you want to partner with us, please reach out. We are taking a proactive approach with different grant opportunities, getting in early to understand what people are looking for and crafting a proposal around that. We have nationwide recognition at the federal and state levels, as well as the global level.
Q. Olivia represents 28 Bay Area community colleges - part workforce development, part career education. She would like to learn more about your work with high schools. A. Linsey: In April, we are partnering with Chevron for an annual all-girls STEM event. We bring in 200 middle school girls from Contra Costa and Alameda counties for hands-on STEM activities and talks by women in STEM. Junior High is the time when girls begin to opt out of STEM programs. The goal at CCTA is to ensure there is a talented pool. Hope to host the event in 2022; will keep DVTI in the loop. We also host an annual Redefine Mobility Conference to bring emerging technology to Contra Costa county and help them work with private sector. Beth and Sam will discuss using future Workforce Development grant funds.
Q: Are there potential opportunities for students at Ygnacio Valley High School? A: Yes. We are currently talking to them about how to enhance a new lab for students in the STEM program and partnering with their Robotics Club for girls. The STEM lab is a former storage building that is currently empty. We are looking to industry partners to advise them about future technologies that can be purchased or donated to provide students with hands-on learning in manufacturing, agriculture, advanced infrastructure, etc. Beth: Joseph Alvarico is an instructor at YVHS and adjunct faculty at DVC. DVC is not directly involved (happy to do so, if there’s a role for us). We are connected to CCTA through a STEM Academy that we do in partnership with YVHS and Bay Area LEEDS. Ed and Beth will discuss further.
Q. Is there a strategy to engage cities on incorporating future AV technology, and how can we coordinate and get a stakeholder like the Transportation Authority involved? As we update CIPs (Capital Improvement Programs), there is an opportunity for a thoughtful discussion on how to accommodate AV vehicles on our roads safely. A. CCTA is happy to be a resource to local jurisdiction partners to implement and advise on autonomous vehicles. Through GoMentum, we can also work with AAA. We are in the midst of launching an update of our county wide transit plan. There will be tools for local jurisdictions to implement components of the plan into CIPs and general plans. The countywide smart signal program that we are implementing that is coordinated and integrated is an example of how we are helping local jurisdictions. The system would make our traffic signals more compatible; prioritize emergency vehicles; keep cyclists save; provide for fire evacuation, etc.
Q: What is your relationship with the Master Developer at the Naval Weapons Station? A: We will work closely with the city of Concord and the Naval Weapons Station, leveraging technology to make it a smart city. We will help develop research and university facilities. We want to leverage GoMentum north of Highway 4 where the county is developing an emergency responding system. There will be opportunities to coordinate and integrate with GoMentum and the Master Developer. We look forward to making it successful for everyone. Carlyn: The Master Developer has been selected. The next step is what will go into the term sheet exclusive negotiating agreement. Everyone here who is passionate about GoMentum and higher education is encouraged to submit a letter to council to that effect so it can be public and in the term sheet. Please submit your letters closer to our November meeting, in general terms describing the importance of GoMentum, higher education, and cooperation.
Adjourned: 3:55 pm
