Cherriots Board of Directors Meeting - August 27, 2026

The Cherriots (Salem Area Mass Transit District) Board of Directors meeting was held August 27, 2026. The board unanimously authorized a three-year contract with Swiftly for automated passenger counter data cleansing and analytics through the NASPO ValuePoint cooperative purchasing agreement, with a total value not to exceed $300,000, including $26,137 in contingency. Staff said the platform supports ridership and route analysis, bus-stop improvement planning, and federal reporting. The board also unanimously approved a $600,000 increase to task-order engineering contract 22-023 with M McDonald LLC, bringing its not-to-exceed amount to $1,080,600 (the figures in the transcript for the original and revised totals are garbled). The contract was competitively solicited and provides engineering services as needed; staff described the listed projects as examples rather than the limit on future task orders. Staff offered to provide the board with updates on larger expenditures, but no reporting threshold was formally adopted in the transcript.

Staff reported on capital and operational projects, including 21 vehicles acquired in FY2026, transit signal priority work, and bus-stop improvements. FY2027 plans include a district website improvement RFP, released July 1 with responses due September 1; East and South Salem Transit Center work; and replacement of the maintenance tracking system, which went live in June with a vendor addressing minor issues. South Salem Transit Center land was purchased in July, and staff said project costs and timelines will be recalibrated. Staff also outlined how unfunded needs are assessed for potential grant applications; no grant awards or related spending approvals were reported. The board received the FY2026 strategic-plan update and FY2027 goals, including accessibility and operational analysis initiatives.