[PRCo] Re: Revenue___Stream

[John Swindler]

>Edward H. Lybarger  replied:
>
>It's OK if a highly visible governor does it and can get good press from 
>it. But it's bad if an agency does it, because it's not "equal."  It also 
>makes less efficient agencies look bad, and we couldn't have that, could 
>we?
>
>Ed
>



You always were a realist, Ed.

Here's an example of what happens when a transit agency tries to be 
responsible.  That is, trying to secure sufficient rolling stock for their 
line extension.  Any comments about what the County Council member thinks of 
transit riders??

John



METRO, ODENWALD SPAR OVER USE OF SPARE METROLINK FUNDS; MONEY COULD BUY NEW 
RAIL CARS OR EASE PROJECT'S IMPACT ON NEIGHBORHOODS
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
April 10, 2003

The Metro public transit agency plans to buy up to 12 rail cars with any 
money saved in the construction of the MetroLink extension from Forest Park 
to Clayton and Shrewsbury. That plan conflicts with the wishes of a St. 
Louis County Council member who would rather use some of the money to help 
neighborhoods along the route.

The low bid for the first construction segment of the new light-rail line, 
along Forest Park Parkway from Kingsland Avenue to Ritz Carlton Drive, was 
$74.8 million, which was about $21 million lower than the agency's estimate.

Metro, as the Bi-State Development Agency now calls its bus and light-rail 
train system, then decided to add $2.8 million to the contract for 
additional waterproofing of tunnels and to leave the difference at about $18 
million. On a second construction contract, the low bid was also within 
Metro's expectations, although the difference between it and the estimate 
was not released.

The transit agency's executive director, Larry Salci, recently revealed the 
plan to buy more rail cars in a letter to County Councilman Kurt Odenwald, 
R-Shrewsbury. The transit agency originally wanted to buy 34 new cars for 
the expansion but had to settle for 22 because of the budget. However, the 
agency obtained an option for 12 additional vehicles costing $2.4 million 
each.

Odenwald said the transit agency should use at least some of the money to 
mitigate problems that the new train line would pose to adjacent residents.

"I'm asking for several hundred thousand dollars, not millions," he said.

Odenwald wants to use the money to bury utility lines in the Parkview 
subdivision along Forest Park Parkway, build a wall south of Linden Avenue 
in Richmond Heights to screen the trains from residents and provide a bus 
loop and parking north of a MetroLink station at Manchester Road east of 
Hanley Road.

Salci said burying utility lines would be an inappropriate use of taxpayers' 
money when the project did not require their relocation, and he said the 
Metro agency was providing sufficient mitigation in Richmond Heights. He 
said money from other sources might be available for the bus loop and 
parking.

Salci said the public transit agency needed the additional vehicles because 
current cars were suffering more wear and tear than expected.

"Our current fleet of 65 vehicles is well maintained," he wrote. "However, 
we run 30 percent more monthly miles on our vehicles than the average miles 
for comparable systems in the light-rail industry. We will depreciate our 
current vehicles before their normal useful life if we do not add to our 
fleet."

Odenwald said Metro could buy the cars and still handle the projects he 
wanted.

Salci said Metro wouldn't be able to determine the final amount of savings 
until work was well under way in all parts of the expansion.

He listed these possibilities that could raise costs:

* The project involves significant tunneling "with all the inherent risks 
and unknowns that are present in below-grade construction," he said. Part of 
the tunneling will take place in an area with an infrastructure up to 100 
years old.

* The project faces unforeseen conditions, change orders and claims. Salci 
said Metro must maintain a contingency fund to handle them.

* A contractor must rebuild the Forest Park station while MetroLink trains 
run through it.

"We are being responsive to the overall needs of the project and our 
fiduciary obligation to the region's taxpayers," Salci wrote. "Metro's goal 
is to build a cost-effective, efficient and attractive extension to its 
already successful MetroLink system."






>-----Original Message-----
>From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
>[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org]On Behalf Of John
>Swindler
>Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2003 8:58 AM
>To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>Subject: [PRCo] Re: Revenue___Stream
>
>
>
>
>Your both right, but for different reasons.
>
>Yes, Jim, a government entity can create a 'rainy day fund', as the Ridge
>administration did - I think it was over $500 million, but please don't
>quote.  That fund was built up over the late 1990s and helped state
>government balance the books last two years, as technically required by the
>state constitution.  And that helped keep the cut in state mass transit
>operating assistance from occurring in 2001 or 2002. (just to try and get
>back to PAT)
>
>And yes, Fred, it's difficult to almost impossible to accomplish due to
>propensity of politicians to try and appeal to voters.  Such as being
>receptive to letters from constituents requesting additional transit
>service.
>
>John
>
>
>
> >From: Jim Holland <PghPCC at pacbell.net>
> >Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> >To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> >Subject: [PRCo] Re: Revenue___Stream
> >Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003 14:12:40 -0700
> >
> >Good Morning!
> >
> > > Fred Schneider wrote:
> >
> > > How can you put money away in a boom period when laws
> > > prohibit you from asking for grants when you have a
> > > slush fund.  Putting money aside for the future was
> > > something that private companies can do [did].
> > > Government gets in trouble doing it if they are
> > > asking other government bodies to help out.
> >
> >	Thank You    ----    You make a Point    ----
> >
> >	To Paraphrase the above:::::::
> >
> >		It is  ILLEGAL  for Govt.
> >		Funded Agencies	To Properly
> >		Manage a Business!
> >
> >	Yes  --  well aware of this  --  from my days with Uncle
> >Sam's Canoe Club in the 1960s we spent any money remaining in
> >the budget so:::::::
> >
> >	1.)--There wouldn't be any carry over And.......
> >	2.)--To prevent a cut in a subsequent budget year.
> >
> ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> >
> >Waiting for a bus is about as thrilling as fishing,
> >	with the similar tantalisation that something,
> >		sometime, somehow, will turn up.
> >			George Courtauld
> >
> ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> >
> >James B. Holland
> >
> >Holland  Electric  Railway  Operation.......
> >___"O"--Scale St.-Petersburg Trams Company Trolleycars and...
> >______"O"--Scale  Parts  mailto:pghpcc at pacbell.net
> >
> >______Pennsylvania Trolley Museum http://www.pa-trolley.org/
> >___Pittsburgh  Railways  Company  (PRCo),   1930  --  1950
> >N.M.R.A.  Life member #2190; http://www.nmra.org
> >
> ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> >
>
>
>_________________________________________________________________
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