The City of Port Hueneme has appointed Councilmember Jim Hensley and the City of Ventura has appointed Councilmember Cheryl Heitmann to the Gold Coast Transit District Board of Directors.
Mr. Hensley replaces Councilmember Doug Breeze, who is no longer on the Port Hueneme City Council. Ms. Heitmann replaces Ventura's Councilmember Carl Morehouse who decided to forgo running for reelection last year after serving 18 years on the Ventura City Council and 5 years on the GCTD Board of Directors.
"We are thankful for the input and perspective our outgoing Directors have given us over the years. With several major projects on the horizon, including construction of our new facility, we look forward to engaging and working closely with our entire Board to address the opportunities GCTD will face this year,” commented Steve Brown, Gold Coast Transit District’s General Manager.
Councilmember's Hensley and Heitmann, join continuing Board Directors County Supervisor John Zaragoza, City of Ojai Councilmember Paul Blatz, and City of Oxnard Councilmember Bryan MacDonald. The five-member Board of Directors represent nearly 4 million annual passengers who utilize GCTD’s fixed route and paratransit services in the cities of Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Ventura and the County of Ventura.
Additionally, Reed Caldwell, Director of Engineering and Construction, is taking on the additional responsibility of overseeing fleet and facility maintenance, following the retirement of Rob Lurie, GCTD's long-time Director of Fleet and Facilities. In this role, Caldwell will be responsible for oversight of construction and operation of the District’s new Administration and Operations Facility, as well as oversight of the District’s fleet of 56 full size buses and 26 paratransit vehicles. A recruitment of a Fleet Manager will be conducted to assist Mr. Caldwell in the oversight of the District’s vehicles. Caldwell joined GCTD in 2014 as Facility Project Manager and has 16 years in the transit industry. Mr. Caldwell previously worked as Deputy Executive Director at North County Transit District in Oceanside, California, and at the City of Phoenix, Arizona as the Deputy Public Transit Director.
"Building the new facility is critically needed in order for transit services in Ventura County to be expanded and sustained into the future,” stated General Manager Steve Brown. “I am confident that with Reed’s experience and leadership skills we will have a successful transition to the new facility."