GATEWAY board extends contract for new director
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on December 24, 2014 1:46 PM
GATEWAY's board of directors voted during a closed session on Tuesday to keep Fred Fontana as the program's director for at least one more year.
Board members William Goodman and Brent Heath were absent from the vote, with County Manager George Wood and City Manager Scott Stevens sitting in on the closed session. The vote was unanimous.
Fontana's contract will run from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2015, with an option for renewal in December. His salary will be $66,000, with a monthly travel allowance of $500.
"I was originally brought on as an interim director but I fell in love with the area and the job and I see good potential here for the future," Fontana said. "Our major focus in the new year will be on the opening of the new transfer station and our rebranding project."
Fontana was hired as interim director in August 2014 after former director Lynn Lamberth's resignation on Aug. 1.
Prior to coming to GATEWAY, Fontana had 30 years of experience in the transportation field, with his most recent positions including general manager of motor vehicle transportation in Wake County, director of Guilford County transportation and deputy transit manager for the city of High Point transportation department.
GATEWAY's new transfer center is set to open on Carolina Street in November 2015. The project was made possible by a TIGER V grant of $10 million, gifted to the city by the federal government for the development of the community.
At a recent GATEWAY board meeting, Fontana announced that the rebranding committee, which is in charge of updating GATEWAY's image around the community, had selected a company to handle the work.
QCA, a company out of Tampa, Fla., which also operates out of Charlotte, will be used to update GATEWAY's logo, route maps, website and implement QR Codes for real time route updates.
GATEWAY's board of directors authorized $23,000 to be allocated for the funding of the initial study to be done by QCA.
Fontana said Tuesday the rebranding project should get under way at the turn of the year.