XML FeedsVirginia Beach Light Rail – Exclusion
By Wally on Dec 27, 2009 | In Politics, Va Beach, Light Rail Crime | 9 feedbacks »
Kerry Dougherty on light rail
LIGHT RAIL LOSES STEAM IN BEACH AMID LATEST PROJECTIONS
Dougherty's column only appears in print or in the ePilot of the Virginian-Pilot Hampton Roads section every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Unfortunately, it is no longer posted on a blog and blogsters are unable to comment on her wit. The e-pilot's Active Paper Daily provides for article reproduction download and article E=mailing.
LIGHT RAIL LOSES STEAM IN BEACH AMID LATEST PROJECTIONS
by Kerry Dougherty
TAP, TAP, TAP … Do you hear what I hear? That’s the sound of 50 million nails being hammered into the coffin of light rail in Virginia Beach.
Follow up:
Yep, the most recent batch of cost overruns on this stub line is predicted to rise to as much as $50 million.
The only way this Light-Rail-At-Any-Price project will come to the Oceanfront is if Beach politicians keep this issue away from the voters.
Stage a referendum – as Mayor Will Sessoms promised to do during his campaign – and the project is dead.
Norfolk’s 7.4-mile Train to Nowhere is now at least 40 percent over budget. Yep, in the midst of a recession, when contractors are hungry and the cost of materials is flat, the geniuses laying Norfolk’s line have managed to bust their budget. Again. A little more than a week ago they confessed that they need another $38 million to $40 million to complete the half-finished project.
One day later, more shortfalls were predicted. Looks like The Tide could be 47 percent over budget.
Let’s review, shall we? When the project began in 2007, it was supposed to cost $232 million. About a year later it jumped to $288 million. Now the price tag is estimated at a bloated $340 million. For the math impaired, that comes to about $108 million total over budget. So what’s Norfolk City Council doing about it? Pointing fingers and shifting blame. Demanding that heads roll. At HRT. Not City Hall. Norfolk politicians seem to believe that if there’s a shake-up at the transit authority and HRT chief Michael Townes is forced out, all will be well.
Dare to dream.
Frankly, a big part of the problem is the fact that local politicians don’t seem to understand the basics of budgeting and finance. Norfolk’s vice mayor, for instance.
“We cannot put this cost back on the taxpayers,” huffed Anthony L. Burfoot when he heard the news about the overruns.
Seriously? How do you suppose Mr. Burfoot plans to pay for the completion of the project without tax money? The only way this railroad is going to be built is with taxes. State, local and federal.
If the city manages to squeeze more money from the feds or state to cover the unexpected bills, taxpayers will still be on the hook. Why, exactly, should folks in Little Rock and Roanoke be paying for this mismanaged mess in Norfolk?
Back to the Beach.
Look for a big push by developers and economic development types to ram light rail through to the Beach, despite 50 million red flags.
The Town Center crowd is desperate for light rail. So are developers who dream of pockets of prosperity popping up around stations.
As the Beach chews on light rail, remember one thing: Light rail is not going to ease gridlock on the streets. Even Norfolk City Councilman Randy Wright, the Captain of Choo Choos, has admitted that.
“You never heard me say it would alleviate traffic congestion,” Wright told me earlier this year. “That’s not the reason for doing it.”
Pass the hammer.
9 comments
Fact is, light rail is our only option in the highly developed I-264 corridor to serve those who wish to live, work, and play along that route. Since road building in Virginia may now be more than a decade away, light rail will provide an option.
Fact is, John Moss was the only candidate totally against light rail, and he got less than 16% of the vote. Last time I checked, that is not a majority. Fact is, both Wally and Kerry are clearly math challenged, but if you are committed to a view regardless of the facts, that view will do jsut fine. MJB sends!
Kerry ought to read the new Comprehensive Plan: not only does it have a designated Urban Area, but mass transit down the Norfolk Southern ROW is a prerequisite.
Beach Mayor candidate Scott Taylor made his support for light rail in the Beach a major theme of his campaign and Henry Ryto backed him for Mayor - yet Scott Taylor received the least number of votes of all 4 candidates, gaining less than votes then John Moss did.
Will Sessoms meanwhile spent over $600,000 on his campaign, money "donated" by a 'who's who' of special interests - many business leaders that hope to gain profits from building and/or funding LRT and TOD.
Will Sessoms' campaign staff even had flyers passed out at voting places that pictured Will Sessoms and Barack Obama, arm in arm, giving voters the false impression that Republican Will Sessoms and Democrat Obama were supporting each other.
of course Mike and Henry know all this - but never et the whole truth get in the way of their 'light rail no matter what' "facts".
Residents aren't falling for the charade, knowing the LRT referendum farce is nothing more than a scam to try to get the VBTA onto the political center stage.
As a matter a fact, there will be a booth at the Saturday gun show, volunteers at the January 12th election polls, the town hall meeting coming up in January, and a number of local businesses providing blank petition pickups for volunteers.
There are many both for and against the light rail that want to see a referendum. To be honest, I have more problems getting people to sign the petition who are opposed to light rail that say, "We already said no to that! Forget it!"
Your wishful thinking won't stop this downhill snowball. Count on it Henry, there will be a referendum on the ballot in November.
My daughter Marina I recently worked the polls in the GOP primary for the 8th Senate District.
It was a cold and rainy day.
People lined up and stood in the rain to sign the petition to hold another referendum on light rail.
Even with the long lines inside to vote and the bad weather, most people were anxious to sign the petition.
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