Okay. If you could do that and maybe this time next year let us know what you looked at and what strategies you think would be appropriate to address those two items. Does the department know which streets are slated to be resurfaced this year with new bike lanes? COMMISSIONER TOLSON: Yes, we do. And we'll be glad to share that information with you.
Please. 392 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET And what is the cycle refreshing or repainting bicycle lanes? COMMISSIONER TOLSON: It varies, depending upon the use of the corridor and how well the lines hold up. So maybe it could last as long as the resurfacing lasts or maybe -- probably more.
Okay. Well, that takes care of my questions for this department. Thank you very much. COMMISSIONER TOLSON: Thank you.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Madam President. I only rise to say thank you as well to -- this is a very special department and for Philadelphia More 393 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET Beautiful, the block captains, and all the things you do and all of the things we ask you to do, we say thank you. Thank you, Madam President.
You're welcome. Councilman Jones, from what I see here, Councilman Green is first on the board. Councilman Green.
I'd like to talk about bridges. No. 14 (Laughter.) (Timer bell rings.)
I just have a couple of quick questions. In the budget reduction, the scenario for streets lists two items totaling 5.8 million. There's 1.9 million from a decrease in funding for sanitation disposal related to increased 394 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET recycling, and a 3.8 million reduction in parking tax revenue used for street repaving. Are both of these items already included in the FY '11 budget? COMMISSIONER TOLSON: Yes.
Okay. Wasn't -- okay. I've also been asking... okay. That was the question with respect to that. With respect to the information that you're going to get me by Monday, if you could please add in if you have moved positions around from one division to another or things like that and that accounts for the discrepancy between the detail and the 140 positions that you believe are vacant, just try to share that with us. That would be helpful to us. COMMISSIONER TOLSON: Yes, sir.
Councilman Jones. 395 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET
Thank you, Madam President. Did I mention the bridge at 52nd and Lancaster today? (Laughter.) Let me go back to that. You talked about the reports from the bridges. The Inquirer was able to obtain, under the Freedom of Information Act, which is a act that we can often use, that the inspections show that 143 bridges, which is 47.4 percent, received poor or lower marks for such deficiencies as deteriorating metal plates, decaying stone walls, and some of them had eroded down to the support piers. Others, badly worn graders, elements of missing rivets. This is that. And I'm saying to you that if we -- I know we have a cozy relationship with them, but it's getting ready to get uncomfortable because all we asked for was a net up under the bridge to make sure that falling objects would not hit 396 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET pedestrians, and they have not done that, and we have not pressed them to do that. And I don't understand why. If this was in Center City, if this were in upper-income neighborhoods, this would not be tolerated. And we deserve no less there. We invested $80 million to bring back a decaying shopping center, and that bridge stands as a monument to the Rust Belt that manufacturing once was. It is disrespectful to disregard the safety. We're not talking about esthetics here. It cites that none of these evaluations were due to smaller things such as painting, lack of signs, which are not there, but those weren't the -- these are major issues and not to be ignored. It's not something -- and please understand for the record that this is not directed at you; this is directed for us to do something about. 397 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET And it's not going to go away. Yes, I'm Captain Ahab on this issue, that is my white whale, and one of us is going down. Either that bridge gets fixed or I will not let it go. COMMISSIONER TOLSON: Can I say, "Aye, Captain"?
There you go. COMMISSIONER TOLSON: So Councilman -- or Captain --
Yes. COMMISSIONER TOLSON: I'd like to offer that the Streets Department will follow up on this issue in the following way: We will meet with you or your representative or a congressman or folks from the Law Department, those who are used to working with the railroad industry. And we will determine what our options are as a city to try to bring the issues to the forefront for Amtrak. And then we will ask Amtrak to 398 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET come in and talk about all of our options to figure out what we can do to bring some resolution to this. I cannot promise where we will wind up, but we will do our best to at least try to bring the issue to a head.
I appreciate that, I appreciate that. (Timer bell rings.) That's all I've asked for the three years I've sent correspondence to Amtrak. They first tried to use the excuse that there was a change in the administration, and oh, we just found it. Until the Congressman Fattah intervened, we do not know where those dollars that were appropriated to fix that bridge are. I'm going to say it again: We don't know where they are, where they were reappropriated to, and I'm going to find out. And -- 'cause these people expected to have a bridge fixed. And so, 399 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET we're going to find out where those dollars are and let the chips fall where they may. But these rivets cannot fall on kids' heads. On some things I'm going to be unreasonable. And on safety to kids, we all should be. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Councilwoman Blackwell, did you want to be recognized?
Thank you. With Obama money and them moving up some bridges, you know, we still have two closed. You know, I have three bridges -- 40, 41st, and 42nd. One is open, one is supposed to open in 2012, and one -- the third one, I don't know, 2020 or something like that. Can we see if we can possibly -- 'cause we were told it didn't 400 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET fit whatever the criteria was so that maybe we can get that moved up and get some of the new federal funding for it? COMMISSIONER TOLSON: We will look to see if there's opportunities to use any of the stimulus money to support (indiscernible) --
Thank you. COMMISSIONER TOLSON: If we can coordinate any of it.
Okay. Any other questions from members of the committee? (No further questions.)
Seeing none, thank you. COMMISSIONER TOLSON: Thank you very much.
Thank you for the wonderful job you do. COMMISSIONER TOLSON: Thank 401 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET you.
We will now here why the Aviation Division. (Witnesses come forward.)
Good afternoon, good afternoon. Welcome. Thank you for your patience. Kindly identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Good afternoon, President Verna. My name is Mark Gale and I am the Chief Executive Officer for Philadelphia International Airport, and I'm here to present testimony today on behalf of the Division of Aviation FY 2011 Operating Budget. With your permission, Madam President, I'd like to read an abbreviated version of our testimony, seeing how you have our full testimony in hand.
That would be great. Thank you. 402 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET
Thank you. Philadelphia International Airport is the only major airport serving the City of Philadelphia and the immediate surrounding counties located the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Our airport is one of the largest economic engines in Pennsylvania, with an estimated annual economic impact exceeding $14 billion annually. Over 200 businesses are linked to the airport and employ some 140,000 workers. And we serve as the major transportation gateway to the world for this region. 6 million passages on close to one half million aircraft takeoff and landings. 10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET PHL is the currently tenth busiest airport in terms of aircraft operations. Twenty-eight airlines operate nearly 600 daily flights to 120 cities, including 54 daily nonstop flights to 36 international destinations. Despite the economic recession and downturn in overall passenger travel, international traffic through PHL remains fairly strong. Service to three new international destinations were added last spring: Oslo, Tel Aviv, and Birmingham, England. This past December, USAirways launched PHL's first-ever direct service to South America with new service to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Recently, USAirways announced service to a fourth Canadian destination, Halifax, Nova Scotia. International traffic has grown over 108 percent since 1997, and we look forward to more international service additions in the future. 10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET On the domestic front, the airport continues to pursue new or expanded domestic service. In February, Southwest Airlines added new service between PHL and Boston, with five flights daily, beginning in June. This route had been plagued with high airfares, due to lack the airline competition. Southwest plans to expand this route in August from five flights a day to eight flights a day. Also beginning June 1st, USAirways will initiate USAirways' longest-ever domestic connection when nonstop service to Anchorage, Alaska, begins. Inclusion of low-fare service plays a key role in maintaining competitive airfares at PHL. 6 percent of the domestic market in Fiscal Year 2009. 10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET some of the lowest in the nation. The airport is continuing its capital program with significant airfield and terminal projects: A major rehabilitation of the airport's longest and widest runway, 9R/27L, is currently underway; In the terminal buildings, the $300 million expansion and renovation of Terminals D and E continues towards completion In Fiscal '11. Other notable projects include: The airport's new cell phone lot, ongoing restroom creations and rehabilitation projects; A major renovation to Terminal A East; Several airline relocations; and The installation of new baggage-handling systems, with the latest explosive detection systems and technology. 10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET airport anticipates going to the bond market in the coming months to fund several new capital projects, including a major expansion to Terminal F. Along with advancing customer service initiatives, promoting better use of technology, expanding air service, creating economic development opportunities, and generally improving our facilities and services, PHL is committed to supporting the Administration's goal of percent 14 minority-, women-, and disabled-owned 15 businesses' participation in City public 16 works and professional-services 17 contracting. Based on available 18 contracting opportunities, the Division 19 of Aviation's Fiscal 2011 participation 20 goal is 32 percent. 21 In addition, the airport places 22 a high priority on the participation of 23 disadvantaged businesses with airport 24 concessions. S. Department of Transportation. This program is designed to promote inclusion within airport concession activity. Thank you for opportunity to testify here today. And I, along with other senior airport managers, will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
Thank you for your testimony and the background on the MBE/WBE. Not following closely, I understood you to say that the federal 408 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET government has a program that pays close attention to those types of numbers and, I guess, monitors, if you will, what the various airports are doing in that way; is that correct?
Okay. I don't think I heard. Did you meet goal? You said the participation goal was 32 percent.
That's the airport's full MWDBE participation goal, as set forth by the Administration. I'm going to ask my deputy, Ed Anastasia here, who oversees finance administration and currently oversees the airport's compliance unit to report on some of the numbers with respect to our MWDBE, our federal DBE program, as well as the airport's ACDBE program.
Thank you for that. Before you get started, we asked Wendy -- I believe it was the 409 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET Managing Director was before us, that your department would come with those numbers as a part of the testimony. Did you get that message? DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: My name is Ed Anastasi, Deputy Director of Aviation for Finance Administration. Councilwoman, we did provide a response to the Budget Bureau late last week; we provided a lot of that detailed information.
Okay. DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: And I don't know if you actually received that yet.
Yes. DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: What we had provided is specifically for the Marketplace, who is our main airport concession developer.
Yes. DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: We provided that information. And, as a matter of fact, we showed for each of the 410 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET locations that Marketplace operates, those locations that were operated by an ACDBE, and we can provide another copy of that.
Well, no, no, no, that's not necessary. But I do recall also asking that it be broken down by sector -- restaurants, retail, et cetera. DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: Yes.
So clearly, I'm not looking at the correct thing? DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: Well, that is -- also in that same, response, Councilwoman, it's dated April 8, 2010. And in the facts section of it, it breaks out the Marketplace concession program by the categories that you just mentioned.
Mm-hmm. DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: And then it provides a further breakdown by location within those categories.
Okay. 411 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET That I don't have in front of me, so if I could trouble you to forward that to Madam President again. DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: I sure will.
So without the benefit of that information, brief us on how well you met those goals. DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: Well, as we state in the testimony, for the Marketplace concessionnaires, under the date that the ACDBE program, we reached -- Marketplace achieved an inclusion rate of 11.4 percent in Fiscal 2009. Now, what we need to understand about that is that 11.4 percent is just for certified ACDBEs, which come under the federal program.
Okay. DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: However, if you looked at Marketplace's actual 412 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET inclusion for all minorities and all women, whether or not they were certified by the federal program or not, the inclusion number for minorities was actually percent in Fiscal 2009. 7
Okay. 8 DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: And 9 approximately 13 percent for women in 10 2009. 11
Okay, 12 okay. All right then. And that's not -- 13 do you not have the numbers yet for '10? 14 DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: We don't 15 have the number its yet for 2010, but we 16 expect the numbers will increase because 17 we opened up three new shops when we 18 opened up the Ehammerhead expansion back 19 in February. 20
Mm-hmm. 21 DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: And all 22 three shops went to ACDBEs. 23
Okay. DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: And also, in December of 2008, we opened up ten 413 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET additional shops in the D-E connector building, and percent, or two of the 4 ten, went to ACDBEs as well. 5
Okay. So 6 then help us understand how -- well, for 7 sure, start with leadership and the 8 department has taken seriously Council's 9 interest in this matter, it starts there, 10 so we thank you for that. 11 But then what other non- 12 traditional measures are you using to aid 13 you in meeting goals? 14 DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: Well, one 15 of the things we do is outreach. 16
Forgive 17 me? 18 DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: One of 19 the things that we do and take very 20 seriously is outreach. In other words, when there are opportunities that come up for concessions, and Marketplace is going to put out a solicitation for this, we, along with Marketplace, do an outreach to bring perspective tenants in, 414 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET specifically DBE tenants in. And sometimes they collaborate and they team up with prime concessionnaires. And sometimes it works out so that they actually bid on the concessionaires by themselves.
I see. DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: So that's been one of the things that's really been successful as far as bringing these numbers up.
Okay. I have a follow-up question. What has been your working relationship, if any, with the chambers -- the African-American Chamber the Latino Chamber, the Asian Chamber, and the like? DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: Yes. We have had some workings and relationship with those agencies, specifically with the Enterprise Center activities.
Okay. DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: We 415 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET participated in those. We're an exhibitors in those activities as well.
Very well. Well, thank you very, very much for testimony and for taking serious -- when you look at the millions and millions of dollars that come through the airport, I think you're second to -- I saw it today. You're second to, boy, Aviation... I think you might be it in terms of number one?
Streets Department, okay. I'm not looking at this properly. So, you are an example that we know it's possible, given the magnitude of your budget. But when we see department heads come before us that do take this seriously, it's a problem. We thank you very, very much for your testimony. DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: Thank 416 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET you. There's always room for improvement. We'll just keep doing what we're doing and try to develop new initiatives to increase that inclusion.
That number. Thank you very much. Thank you, Madam President.
You're welcome. Are there any other questions? Mr. Anastasia, how many years have you been in service with the City? DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: Let's see. How can I count back that far. 1972 is when I started with the City. I started with the City Controller's Office. And so, that was what, 38 years ago. And I came to the airport, which was the best move that I've made since coming to the City, in 1977, and been with the airport for 3 years. 417 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET
And it's my understanding that you're on DROP, and you will be taking advantage of that in October? DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: That is correct, yes, the DROP.
We want to certainly thank you. I know you've been around for a long time, and you've given so much service to the City. DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: Thank you.
I want to thank you, and I want to wish you well in the future, good health, and many, many years of happiness. DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: Thank you, Council President. But we'll be back with a bond issue in a couple of weeks. (Laughter.)
Oh, okay. 418 4.13.10 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - FY '11 BUDGET DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: So we'll be before you one more time.
That's great. Thank you so much. You're doing a great job. DEPT. DIR. ANASTASI: Thank you, Madam President.
This committee will stand in recess until tomorrow, Wednesday, April the 14th, at 10 a.m. Thank you very much. (Proceedings end at 5:30 p.m.) * * * 419 C E R T I F I C A T E WE HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings of the City of Philadelphia Council Committee of the Whole are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by us on Tuesday, April 13, 2010, and that this is a true and correct statement of same. __________________________________ MICHELE MURPHY, Registered Professional Reporter __________________________________ JOSEPHINE CARDILLO, Registered Professional Reporter (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)