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| Volume 16, Issue 3 | Fall 2004 |
DTA: Where Do We Go from Here? Ron Baumgart, DTA PresidentRiver Cities Transit Pierre, SD Thanks, to everyone who attended our Dakota Transit Association (DTA) Conference Sept. 20-23, in Sioux Falls. I really enjoy getting to know everyone better and sharing our stories. A special thank you goes to the DTA board members and North and South Dakota DOT's who spent a great amount of time planning the conference. For members that missed the conference this year, the DTA board hopes to see you at the next conference. DTA elected new board members to replace Donna Noel, Bennett County Senior Citizens, Martin, SD, and Darrell Michalenko, Minot City Transit, Minot, ND. Thanks to both of them for serving two terms on the board. We plan on using some of their expertise in the future. New board members are Jacqueline Senger, North Central Planning Council, Devils Lake, ND; Barb Ballensky, Vermillion Public Transit, Vermillion, SD; and Peggy Morris, Spink County Public Transit & Senior Center, Redfield, SD. I welcome you to the board of directors and promise we will have a busy and exciting year. Also, thanks, to our membership for your support of the many changes and innovations that were recommended by the board. As we pursue and implement these changes I feel the future of DTA is very bright. The Board will have its next meeting Nov. 8-9, in Fargo, ND. One of the agenda items for this meeting will be to work on our alliance with the Small Urban & Rural Transit Center (SURTC). As DTA plans for the future and how to serve our membership, our alliance with SURTC will be very important. We believe we need a home base to provide credibility and reliability to continue our growth. The potential is endless as we look at research, development of Web pages, computer programs, training, task forces development, and the great expertise that SURTC can provide. At our November board meeting, we will name the individuals appointed to the two task forces. The topics for our two task forces will be (a) future training that DTA needs to provide our membership, and (b) working to facilitate an insurance pool for our property insurance. I want to thank the people that have volunteered to serve on these task forces and to those that have provided ideas for future training. We will be contacting the individual task force members after our November meeting. With the legislative sessions coming up soon, DTA is preparing to be a player in both the North and South Dakota Legislature. The board believes strongly about having our issues brought to the legislators in a professional and credible manner. In North Dakota DTA is working with Erica Cermak, executive director of North Dakota Senior Service Providers. I have made contact with Steve Willard with Willard & Associates of Pierre, SD, to work for DTA in the South Dakota Legislature. The DTA Board will work on finalizing these details at our November meeting. The board believes our professional exposure to the legislatures should be a long-term commitment. I must emphasize this does not lessen our need as transportation providers to be there for these individuals and provide the needed testimonies and life stories that are needed at the legislative hearings and throughout the year. It is never too soon to start planning next year's conference which will be held in Minot, ND. The conference is scheduled at the Holiday Inn Riverside, 2200 Burdick Expressway East, Minot, ND, Sept. 19-22, 2005. We are hoping to have vendors' displays and several other new items at this conference. I am counting on all members for help in topic selection, program input, recruiting new members, and promoting DTA. As always, the board wants to thank you for your continued support of Dakota Transit Association. Get Involved Bruce Fuchs, NDDOTAfter returning from the Minnesota Public Transit Conference, I am having visions of what DTA can be. Several vendors want to exhibit their products at our DTA conference but have never been approached or provided the opportunity. They are not only interested in showing their latest products, but are willing to put on training sessions, help pay for meals, breaks, etc. The inclusion of these vendors would add a whole new dimension to our conference. The membership of DTA has remained stagnant and that is NOT a good sign. It is in the best interests of all concerned to expand the member base and in turn this will expand the idea base. The board cannot do this by themselves, it is up to each and every one of the members to recruit new members. With that said, I cannot stress how important it is that you, the members, actively participate. The days of sitting back and letting others do everything for you are over. An organization is only as good as its membership and I think this organization is full of great members who are on the verge of doing some great things in the areas of insurance, training and information sharing. Contact any of the DTA board members and let them know you are willing to help. When the board meets they can use the list of volunteers to help carry out the agenda. Don't forget to establish a running dialogue with the board. Nowhere is it written that the business of DTA can only be transacted once a year at the DTA conference. Remember! Transit is a year-round business!
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