METRORail University Line

[Pumapayam]

How much wasted "tax payers" money spent fighting and discussing the Richmond Rail line since 2003.

Culberson inserts Metro rail-line limits into federal spending bill

Added to that, Houston Metro "cannot afford to build" the additional two lines, Culberson insisted.

[Slick Vik]

Culberson is an evil man.

Edited June 21, 2012 by Slick Vik

[mfastx]

Well, this is unfortunate. The University line is undoubtedly the most important proposed line, and will have the greatest positive impact on transportation in Houston.

Culberson is not only uninformed, he is also an idiot.

[woolie]

House does lots of silly things. Like, hold the AG in contempt because they're pissed at DOJ for blocking unconstitutional voter ID laws. Hopefully this won't make it past the Senate.

[LTAWACS]

Further proof that culberson like all other politicos are mere walking apes.

[woolie]

I have a new policy of 'liking' all Awacs comments.

[crunchtastic]

I have a new policy of 'liking' all Awacs comments.

You would have liked (some of) Texas Vines as well. Vines, wherefore art thou?

Awacs, dammit! Lt Dan or whoever you are, you need to come to the happy hours!

[RedScare]

You would have liked (some of) Texas Vines as well. Vines, wherefore art thou?

Awacs, dammit! Lt Dan or whoever you are, you need to come to the happy hours!

I bet we can get him to attend the planned epic happy hour.

[Highway6]

Does anyone remember the recurring SNL character from maybe a decade ago. Female, 40s, frumpy, fanny pack(?), complete disregard for social ettiquete. One episode has her at an all-u-can-eat buffet sticking her head under the salad guard and sneezing. Says "Uggghhhh" in a drawn-out shuddery voice a lot. No idea who played her.

Edited June 22, 2012 by Highway6

[Pleak]

Pat???

[Highway6]

Pat???

Nope.. not that old a character and no gender ambiguity.

I wanna place her existence in the 04-08 range... though i could be off since I don't regularly watch anymore.

Edited June 22, 2012 by Highway6

[barracuda]

That would be Lorraine from Mad TV.

[Highway6]

Thank you Barracuda.. exactly the character I was thinking of.

Point being... and this could spawn a very interesting thread on Haifer's visual perception of other Haifers..

But if awacs showed up at a happy hour and he/she wasn't exactly like Lorraine, I'd be sorely dissapointed.

Not trying to be mean, awacs....it's your shared catch phrase that does it.

Edited June 22, 2012 by Highway6

[LTAWACS]

Oh?

[LTAWACS]

Refreshed the thread... sorry. Nothing like that lady.

[IHB2]

$71 million wasted over 10 yrs a guesstimate. Greanias says METRO will provide real $#s AFTER the Nov referendum. classic METRO.

report filed Friday 9/7/12: http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/in_focus&id=8802383

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- We're investigating millions of dollars in METRO's broken promises; money set aside for a major rail line that may now be wasted.

Over the last decade, METRO spent $71 million of your dollars to build a rail line. But the agency recently took that project off the table for at least another decade and no work has been done.

So where did all that money go?

Ten years ago, METRO promised to build a light rail line starting out on Hillcroft through Montrose, downtown, out past TSU, UH and stopping just east of 45.

Ten years later, nothing's been built on the University Line and nothing will be built until at least 2025 if METRO gets its way.

"It think this is a sad day for Houston," said David Robinson with the Neartown Houston Association.

Robinson lives along the route in Neartown. He patiently waited, even supported METRO's plan to wait. But now he feels duped.

"We don't understand how we were sold out," Robinson said.

"Why repair something you are going to tear up again? So currently, the streets have become really terrible," Former Houston City Councilwoman Sue Lovell said.

Lovell says the city held off on road repairs, waiting on light rail and now there's no money to fix the raods.

"Nobody's told us now what's going to happen on this corridor," she said.

"We're trying to close the gap," METRO Board Chairman Gilbert Garcia said.

METRO says they simply don't have the money to do this now and won't for more than a decade. But METRO's already spent $71 million on the project, even as recently as last year.

"We believe that every dollar of taxpayer money, whether it comes from the fare box, tax money or federal money, we need to spend it as wisely as possible," METRO CEO George Grenias said.

In fact, if METRO hadn't spent the money on studies and land and lawyers and meetings and newspaper ads, they could've taken $71 million bills and laid them down along the route, paving it from curb to curb and then some with your money.

"It's an enormous amount of money," Garcia said.

The agency spent $14 million studying on environmental studies that will soon be out of date. METRO spent another $2.5 million on land appraisals, and they're no good anymore. So that's $16.5 million gone. And METRO spent $54 million studying possible routes and picking the final one, only some of which may be useful in 10 years, but who knows.

"We're not going to get ahead of ourselves," Grenias said.

Not METRO. And they won't do the work to figure out how many of your dollars were really wasted until after a November METRO referendum.

"By why shouldn't voters have that information before they vote?" we asked Grenias.

"The voters, I think, have all the information that we have. We've told them everything we know," he said.

But it's not enough for the people who live along the rocky road that was going to be a rail line.

"Yeah ok, we're angry. I think that's a fair statement," Robinson said.

Tired of the bumps and tired of bad promises, some of METRO's strongest supporters have had enough.

"People feel betrayed," Lovell said.

METRO provided all the numbers for the money it's already spent, and points out that is proof they are approaching things differently these days - showing their hands warts and all.

METRO officials issued the following statement late Friday night:

"The METRO Board has not scrapped plans for the University Line. While work has slowed down METRO has not pulled this project out of its rail expansion program. The transit agency is being fiscally responsible, and as we have stated in the past, METRO will proceed with rail expansion as funds become available. Please keep in mind that we are currently constructing three new light rail lines that will be open to the public in 2014."

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) "

[j_cuevas713]

Damn can someone give Metro a break. Don't get me wrong, Metro should be accountable for everything that happened in he past, but to me this just sounds like ABC13 was trying to fill air time by reporting something we coulda have projected happening due to Metro's past financial failures. At the same time, politics has been a major reason Metro can simply get around to do what it envisions. They have chosen very smart routes compared to other cities, but it seems like every time Metro is ready to break ground another politician feels the need to "represent" their constituents just to "feel" as though they are doing the city a favor.

[IHB2]

Projecting METRO's incompetent management and waste of taxpayer dollars regarding the University Line has been ongoing for the last 6 or 7 years - in testimony at METRO public meetings, in testimony at METRO board meetings, in elected officials' town hall meetings, in the newspapers, and here on HAIF.

Given the fact that METRO now wants voters to make available more money for rail and other transit projects, 13's report seems to me to be a necessary reminder of just how mismanaged your tax dollars have been.

[mfastx]

Projecting METRO's incompetent management and waste of taxpayer dollars regarding the University Line has been ongoing for the last 6 or 7 years - in testimony at METRO public meetings, in testimony at METRO board meetings, in elected officials' town hall meetings, in the newspapers, and here on HAIF.

Given the fact that METRO now wants voters to make available more money for rail and other transit projects, 13's report seems to me to be a necessary reminder of just how mismanaged your tax dollars have been.

What?? The current METRO admin doesn't seem too concerned at all with building the University Line. At least not for the next decade or so.

[samagon]

Projecting METRO's incompetent management and waste of taxpayer dollars regarding the University Line has been ongoing for the last 6 or 7 years - in testimony at METRO public meetings, in testimony at METRO board meetings, in elected officials' town hall meetings, in the newspapers, and here on HAIF.

Given the fact that METRO now wants voters to make available more money for rail and other transit projects, 13's report seems to me to be a necessary reminder of just how mismanaged your tax dollars have been.

The ballot this November is a farce and everyone who has listened to what the Mayor has said knows this.

[IHB2]

What?? The current METRO admin doesn't seem too concerned at all with building the University Line. At least not for the next decade or so.

perhaps you should read the Friday night statement by METRO quoted above. "Concerned" appears to be an understatement of METRO's stance re building the University Line that METRO has deemed the "spine" of all other rail lines.

METRO is interested in capturing 100% of the sales tax penny, but that proved politically impossible, so now is willing to continue to send "up to" 25% of that penny for GMP and apparently fears a "NO" vote in November will get the state legislature involved in METRO's tax collection.

I posted this hoping someone would comment about Ch 13's apparent choice of sides in the rail debate and referendum. In contrast, the Chron not only still is cheerleading for the Univ and Uptown Lines, it so far has not printed a word about this Friday night METRO statement or the 13 report, but did run a pro-METRO referendum editorial in Saturday's paper - advising voters to vote YES in order to keep the issue away from the legislature.

[mfastx]

perhaps you should read the Friday night statement by METRO quoted above. "Concerned" appears to be an understatement of METRO's stance re building the University Line that METRO has deemed the "spine" of all other rail lines.

The University Line is obviously the most important line and should be built. METRO knows this. However if you are aware of what's been going on recently, you'll know that Garcia doesn't seem too concerned about it at all. Sure, METRO will release a statement that they want to build the line, but it isn't in their plans for at least the next decade, no matter what happens in November.

METRO is interested in capturing 100% of the sales tax penny, but that proved politically impossible, so now is willing to continue to send "up to" 25% of that penny for GMP and apparently fears a "NO" vote in November will get the state legislature involved in METRO's tax collection.

I posted this hoping someone would comment about Ch 13's apparent choice of sides in the rail debate and referendum. In contrast, the Chron not only still is cheerleading for the Univ and Uptown Lines, it so far has not printed a word about this Friday night METRO statement or the 13 report, but did run a pro-METRO referendum editorial in Saturday's paper - advising voters to vote YES in order to keep the issue away from the legislature.

It's absolutely ridiculous that a "no" vote would get state legistlature involved. Just shows how backwards Houston's leaders are. Whatever happend to "democracy?"

[IHB2]

It's absolutely ridiculous that a "no" vote would get state legistlature involved. Just shows how backwards Houston's leaders are. Whatever happend to "democracy?"

if you want to play in the HAIF METRO LRT is god/the devil threads, you are going to have to learn a bit about how things work politically.

the Texas State Legislature authorized the creation of local transit authorities in 1973 and Houston voters approved METRO and the one-cent sales tax in 1978.

the enabling legislation for METRO thus originated w/the state legislature and that gives the legislature an interest in and legislative authority over METRO.

have you noticed the political party makeup of the state legislature? do you think there is much support for public transit among an elected supermajority that makes Culberson look like a communist?

do you think there is any support for a public transit agency with a proven record of wasting tax dollars and illegal contracting with foreign corporations?

[TheNiche]

Whatever happend to "democracy?"

It's the highest grossing 'off-Broadway' play ever devised.

[Slick Vik]

do you think there is any support for a public transit agency with a proven record of wasting tax dollars and illegal contracting with foreign corporations?

I think the Buy America provision is ridiculous. If METRO was getting good quality cars at a cheaper price, what's the big deal?

[MetroMogul]

Sounds like most of that was done under Frank Wilson's watch surprise surprise. The only thing I fault the "New" Metro for is the continued light rail-centric policy while the bus system continues to be mediocre. But, I suppose that's better than the atrocious system we had under Wilson and cronies.

[IHB2]

I think the Buy America provision is ridiculous. If METRO was getting good quality cars at a cheaper price, what's the big deal?

b/c "S" is behind "M" in the alphabet, you will be seated behind msfastx in the Politics of Transit seminar. 1st session is titled "How Do I Get Reelected?"

that is also the title of all subsequent sessions.

[mfastx]

if you want to play in the HAIF METRO LRT is god/the devil threads, you are going to have to learn a bit about how things work politically.

the Texas State Legislature authorized the creation of local transit authorities in 1973 and Houston voters approved METRO and the one-cent sales tax in 1978.

the enabling legislation for METRO thus originated w/the state legislature and that gives the legislature an interest in and legislative authority over METRO.

have you noticed the political party makeup of the state legislature? do you think there is much support for public transit among an elected supermajority that makes Culberson look like a communist?

do you think there is any support for a public transit agency with a proven record of wasting tax dollars and illegal contracting with foreign corporations?

The state legislature should not get involved. Houstonians should decide where the money goes. METRO already has the right to tax citizens by 1 cent on the dollar. That's as far as the state legislature should go.

Edited September 11, 2012 by mfastx

[TheNiche]

The state legislature should not get involved. Houstonians should decide where the money goes. METRO already has the right to tax citizens by 1 cent on the dollar. That's as far as the state legislature should go.

The state legislature will absolutely positively not give a damn unless elected legislators from within the METRO service area bring up the issue. Then, on account of that METRO is a state-chartered entity involving so many distinct political jurisdictions of asymmetric importance, it is becomes legitimate fodder for the entire state to weigh in on.

[Ross]

It's absolutely ridiculous that a "no" vote would get state legistlature involved. Just shows how backwards Houston's leaders are. Whatever happend to "democracy?"

Democracy means the City of Houston doesn't get to use sales taxes paid by County residents to build a strictly Houston toy train system.