Tri-Met's agenda -- mostly about more rail to nowhere
Here's an interesting document from Portland's insolvent transit agency. It lays out some spending plans for its federal handouts over the next fiscal year, about $185 million in all. The list appears to be required by some federal law, because the Tri-Metters seem to want it to go away quickly and quietly:
TriMet is offering an opportunity to submit comments or request a Public Hearing on the proposed Program of Projects described in this notice. If anyone requests a Public Hearing it will be at TriMet on Wednesday, April 17, 2013. If no one requests a Public Hearing, it will not be held. Please submit your comments or request a Public Hearing by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 3, 2013 via email to federalfunding@trimet.org.
They save the 1,000-pound gorilla for the end:
Bus & Rail Preventive Maintenance and State of Good Repair: $33,600,000 Section 5307 funds, $16,600,000 Section 5337 funds, $1,500,000 STP funds
Eastside MAX Project: $1,060,400 Section 5307 funds
Bus Replacement: $2,600,000 Section 5339 funds
Regional Rail Debt Service: $4,000,000 STP funds, $11,000,000 CMAQ funds
Bus Stop Development: $1,458,790 STP funds
Regional Transportation Options Program: $367,931 CMAQ funds
New Bus Shelters: $141,773 CMAQ funds
Elderly and Disabled Transportation: $1,496,000 Section 5310 funds
Milwaukie Light Rail Project: $100,000,000 Section 5309 New Starts funds
That's $15 million toward one's year's mortgage on past train follies, and $100 million up front on the new one.
Tri-Met needs "new starts," all right. After a cleansing bankruptcy, it needs to start with some fiscal responsibility and an orientation toward taking riders where they actually want to go. Both would be quite novel.
| Posted at 11:47 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (11)
50 million bucks on 'preventive maintenance'?
Since when? Does this mean that they have spent nothing on 'preventive maintenance' up to this point? (That would explain the current situation.) Will they be addressing the growing dilapidation of the bus rolling stock? Or, are they throwing that all away on 'preventive maintenance' on new extensions of the fixed rail system?
Or...are they just stuffing this cash in their pockets and walking away?
Posted by godfry | March 21, 2013 12:37 PM
Someone smarter than I would need to explain it, but I understand that Tri-Met somehow leverages these capital construction projects to come up with working revenue to subsidize their money losing operations. Clearly under that model there is a day of retribution, but they manage to keep putting out further into the future.
I'm hoping some of you smart folks can elaborate.
Posted by Dave Lister | March 21, 2013 12:39 PM
I think "preventive maintenance" refers primarily to executive and administrative salaries and benefits.
Posted by Allan L. | March 21, 2013 1:22 PM
So what happens if someone requests a public hearing?
I realize its an ant trying to stop a speeding (MAX) train.
Posted by Steve | March 21, 2013 1:48 PM
Request the public hearing. Once requested, they will have to conduct it a pre-condition to qualifying for any portion of the federal funds they are seeking. Once a public hearing is conducted, the public can enter their comments into the record. The public needs to get on the record their collective thoughts on the run-amok mismanagement of a once-valued public asset.
The General Manager and the Tri-Met Board should probably all be indicted. Stopping their money flow is short of that, but it is a start.
Posted by x-portlander | March 21, 2013 2:45 PM
By the by - I just sent an email message to the link provided in this blog post ... and got the following response:
Delivery has failed to these recipients or groups:
federalfunding@trimet.org
There's a problem with the recipient's mailbox. Please try resending the message. If the problem continues, please contact your helpdesk.
Ha Ha Ha! Tri-Met does an auto reject of your request for a hearing. Nope - Don't want that do we...
Indict them all.
Posted by x-portlander | March 21, 2013 2:48 PM
I didn't see any funding to fix the lightrail tracks at the lloyd center stop. The trains have to crawl through there because the street is so messed up.
Posted by Tim | March 21, 2013 3:11 PM
That's $15 million toward one's year's mortgage on past train follies, and $100 million up front on the new one.
Even worse, that $15 million going toward debt service is all federal funds. So, not only are federal grants paying for half of the initial construction costs, they are also paying for debt service on the bonds that are supposed to represent the "local" share.
They sure know how to shake the federal money tree.
Posted by MJ | March 21, 2013 3:34 PM
Just got the same message: conspiracy much?
Delivery has failed to these recipients or groups:
federalfunding@trimet.org (federalfunding@trimet.org)
There's a problem with the recipient's mailbox. Please try resending the message. If the problem continues, please contact your helpdesk.
Posted by jubei | March 21, 2013 3:48 PM
"preventive maintenance" involves clogging the streets with slow moving, empty street cars so that any traffic is prevented from moving in an expedient manner.
Posted by tankfixer | March 21, 2013 6:48 PM
I swore it wouldn't happen, but I finally got caught napping on the wrong streetcar and ended up jumping off near the Coliseum rather than going up to NW 23rd. I waited 15 minutes, hoping to catch the streetcar back over the river but when my transfer ran out, I started walking. I walked all the way across the Broadway bridge and down into the Pearl without seeing one streetcar headed west, although I did see two go by in the other direction. Damn, I thought the streetcar seemed empty, but I was leaving work early and it didn't click.
Posted by NW Portlander | March 21, 2013 7:56 PM