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Railroad Newsline for Friday, December 22, 2006

Compiled by Larry W. Grant

In Memory of Rob Carlson, 1952 – 2006

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RAIL NEWS

BNSF ISSUES UPDATE ON WINTER WEATHER IN COLORADO

Approximately 13:00 CT Thursday, December 21, 2006 snow fall ceased in and around Denver, Colorado. The total accumulation in the metro Denver, CO area is near 30 inches. And combined with high winds it has caused a major interruption to railroad operations throughout the state of Colorado.

The Denver Intermodal Facility which closed at 21:00 CT Wednesday, December 20, 2006, is estimated to reopen at 18:00 CT Thursday, December 21, 2006. Crews continue removing snow in the Denver Yard to allow switching operations to begin. Weather conditions are expected to improve by Friday, December 22, 2006, but recovery will be slow as most side streets remain impassable. The BNSF Railway Company will continue to monitor the situation closely and advise as conditions improve.

Customers should anticipate delays between 24 and 72 hours on traffic moving through this region. - BNSF Service Advisory

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CHRISTMAS TRAIN MAKES LIFESAVING EMERGENCY STOP

WILLITS, CA -- A Christmas train makes a lifesaving emergency stop in the mountains near the town of Willits, California. Nature lover John Harrington was trying to live in the mountains but had become so malnourished he had to crawl through the woods to find help.

Sunday, he spotted railroad tracks, rolled down the hillside and used flashlights to signal a train carrying Santa Claus. The engineers and a nurse who happened to be on board may have saved Harrington's life. He's recovering at Howard Medical Hospital in Willits. - KOVR-CBS13, West Sacramento, CA

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TRAINS' DAYLONG RUMBLE UNSETTLES RIVERFRONT PLANS

VANCOUVER, WA -- BNSF Railway Company trains averaging one-mile long rumble past downtown Vancouver,Washington about 45 times a day. The rail line, just one of four lines connecting Oregon and Washington to points eastward, is an important artery for freight of all types.

In the coming years, the economic reality needs to mesh with thousands of residents expected to fill offices, condominiums and apartments in a gleaming new development on the Columbia riverfront.

The cooperative existence is off to an uncertain start.

The potential buyer of 29 acres west of the Interstate Bridge has postponed plans for an end-of-year deal closing, awaiting more clarity about access to the site through the BNSF Railway berm.

City, state and Port of Vancouver officials are working to find a solution.

City officials anticipate the former Boise Cascade mill site will be the next big thing in downtown's urban renaissance. Riverside residences, offices, retail, restaurants and a hotel are envisioned. The city has enjoyed praise for the makeover of Esther Short Park directly north, and the construction of a new Hilton hotel, a convention center, offices, condominiums and apartments.

But the potential riverside buyer needs more clarity.

"We're just still continuing to conduct our due diligence," said David C. Copenhaver, vice president of development of Gramor Development Inc., a commercial real estate company based in Tualatin. Gramor heads a group that includes several Clark County residents, including Copenhaver.

Copenhaver said no other date for a real estate closing has been set. Terms of the deal, announced Aug. 1, have not been revealed.

"I don't know," Copenhaver said. "When you're conducting a due diligence, you're trying to determine the feasibility. If there's no access to it, we can't develop it."

Two vehicle underpasses through the berm are proposed to connect the 29-acre site to downtown. Plans also call for a separate underpass for pedestrians only.

One of the vehicle underpasses would cost $6 million to $8 million and the other $20 million to $25 million, said Thayer Rorabaugh, city transportation director. It's not known who will pay, but Rorabaugh expects participants would include the city, BNSF and the developer, maybe others.

It's unknown what conditions BNSF would set for construction. The rail line most likely would have to shift to a "shoo fly" -- railroad parlance for an alternate line --during the 15- to 18-month construction span. It's expected that BNSF would require both underpasses to be built simultaneously to minimize disruption to its traffic.

BNSF, which anticipates increasing the number of trains passing through Vancouver, is working "to resolve access issues," a spokesman said.

City officials, meantime, hope Gramor and its partners can start construction by 2010, maybe 2009. - Allen Brettman, The Portland Oregonian

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WALZ SEEKS HOUSE HEARING ON DM&E

MANKATO, MN -- Congressman-elect Tim Walz is urging a House oversight committee to quickly call hearings on the DM&E's $2.3 billion federal loan application when the new Congress convenes on Jan. 4.

Walz, D-Mankato, has also recruited a veteran member of the House Committee on Government Reform to ask committee chairman-designate Henry Waxman to hold the hearings on the taxpayer-financed loan. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., co-signed a letter with Walz detailing concerns about the loan and asking that more public scrutiny be applied to the loan application process.

Maloney is a 14-year incumbent and serves on the Government Reform Committee's Subcommittee on Government Management, Finance and Accountability.

"I promised in the campaign that this thing would be shook out in the light of day," Walz said Tuesday. "... This is what the people voted me in to do. They want to know their voice is heard."

The loan will be the largest federal loan to a private company in American history if it is approved by the Federal Railroad Administration. The Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad is hoping to use the money to expand into the coal-rich Powder River Basin of Wyoming and upgrade its existing line through southern Minnesota to handle up to 34 daily mile-long coal trains.

Calling the loan "one of the worst examples that we have seen of government waste," Walz and Maloney's letter to Waxman details five concerns about the project and its proposed financing.

The letter suggests that the Sioux Falls-based DM&E is "a poor credit risk and the project appears unlikely to be able to cover its debt service." It also notes the railroad's history of accidents and raises the prospect of a derailment near Rochester's Mayo Clinic.

The letter questions the FRA's decision to forgo doing its own environmental study, instead adopting a nearly-5-year-old study done by the Surface Transportation Board.

In addition, Walz and Maloney note how little is publicly known about the DM&E's ownership, the structure of the business and the loan application. And they note that the loan became available to the DM&E only after Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., a former lobbyist for the DM&E, worked to expand the FRA loan program by ten-fold.

The FRA currently has the authority to grant the loan without congressional approval, but Walz said he believes that won't occur until mid-January at the earliest. Even if Waxman doesn't hold hearings before then, he could signal to FRA and its mother agency - the Department of Transportation - that he's interested in discussing the loan before a decision is made.

"We respectfully request that you consider sending a letter to the Secretary of Transportation to alert the Department and the FRA that the incoming Committee leadership believes that this record-breaking loan warrants careful congressional oversight," the letter states. "Additionally, the Secretary should provide to you the full set of documents and information concerning this loan so that these issues can be examined in the full light of the public that is being asked to bankroll this loan."

DM&E officials have accused project opponents of trying to kill the expansion through delaying tactics, something Walz said he's not attempting to do that with his request for oversight.

As for defending the project on its merits, DM&E President Kevin Schieffer said last month that he'd be happy to do that before congressional committees.

"There's nothing I'd invite more than an open dialogue on this," Schieffer said. - Mark Fischenich, The Mankato Free Press

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RIDE THAT TRAIN TO EARMARK REFORM, REP.-ELECT WALZ

ST. PAUL, MN -- So the train is hurtling down the tracks toward Little Nell, tied across the rails by the evil Snidely Whiplash. Enter Dudley Do-Right (he's from the government, and he's here to help). He rescues Little Nell, foils the evil Snidely and earns the love of all.

The real-life plot of that fictional little melodrama revolves around the Dakota Minnesota and Eastern Railroad (DM&E), a struggling enterprise hoping to expand its service into the Wyoming coalfields. After failure to obtain private funding for the venture, DM&E seeks a $2.3 billion expansion loan from the Federal Railroad Administration - the largest government loan guarantee ever made to a private company.

The plot thickens.

By some standards, DM&E gives new meaning to the phrase "no way to run a railroad." It is financially overextended and the federal loan would push its debt-to-equity ratio to nearly twice the industry average. A Rochester group, using a Freedom of Information Act request, uncovered that the railroad administration had extended a requirement that DM&E, with one of the worst safety records in the industry, operate under strict safety requirements laid out by the federal government.

Not exactly tied across the rails, but sitting right next to the DM&E tracks, is the Mayo Clinic. In the public campaign against the railroad, Mayo officials might sometimes exaggerate certain risks, but it's understandable that they are concerned about an agreement giving the railroad the means to carry hazardous materials and operate 10 times the current number of trains each day through downtown Rochester.

Enter our hero from the government, Rep.-elect Tim Walz.

Walz and Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., have asked the House Committee on Government Reform to hold oversight hearings on DM&E's proposed loan application. As a significant political force in his district, the Mayo Clinic holds a special place in Walz's heart. Walz and Mahoney cite DM&E's finances, safety record, environmental impact and a public lack of knowledge about this privately held company as reasons for hearings. They also unmask our villain.

In one of the most significant Senate races in 2004, South Dakota Republican John Thune ousted Democratic Senate minority leader Tom Daschle. Along with Republican minority whip-designate Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., Thune earmarked money for the DM&E loan in the 2005 transportation bill. The Walz-Mahoney letter points out that in the preceding two years, Thune (not identified by name in the letter) was paid $220,000 as lobbyist for DM&E, including $160,000 while he was running for the Senate.

Will our man from the government, "Do-Right" Walz, rescue the lovely Mayo Clinic from the sinister designs of "Snidely" Thune and save taxpayers from a dubious $2.3 billion loan? As they say, stay tuned. But even before the final curtain falls, we can draw some lessons of import from this modern little melodrama.

As we generally support the call for earmark reform by Sen.-elect Amy Klobuchar, we enthusiastically support the specific Walz-Mahoney push for congressional oversight of the DM&E loan. It's not only the size of the loan that matters; we are concerned by the nonchalance and relative ease with which $2.3 billion in loan guarantees was slipped into the transportation bill.

Remember when Congress got into the loan guarantee business in a big way back in 1979 with a $1.5 billion loan to Chrysler Corp.? The wisdom of that "bailout" was hotly debated. For better, Chrysler paid off its loan eight years early; for worse, it seems now that instead of being subject to scrutiny and debate, government guarantees of private loans have become virtual entitlements - billions can be added to the federal budget without a minute of congressional debate.

Clearly, that the Mayo Clinic is a player in the cast motivates Walz's involvement. We hope, however, that his interest goes beyond winning some love from Mayo to the larger questions of whether the federal government ought to be making private loan guarantees with public money and, if such loans might be in the public interest, how Congress should go about deciding when to make them.

If our man from the government really wants to help, we need to come away with answers to those questions - and real earmark reform. - Editorial Opinion, The St. Paul Pioneer Press

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ALL ABOARD FOR RAILROAD PROJECT TEXAS, NEW MEXICO CAN SHARE COSTS

Photo here:

[www.amarillo.com]

Texas and New Mexico can't even meet halfway on a railroad overpass that would benefit communities on both sides of the state line.

The Texas Department of Transportation has set aside $7 million for a railroad overpass between Farwell, TX and Texico, NM, a much-needed alternate route that would alleviate the traffic delay problems from trains criss-crossing U.S. 84 which separates the two communities.

However, New Mexico has put up the red light - like flashing lights at a railroad crossing - to providing similar funding for the overpass project.

The states shouldn't be at odds over a project that would benefit both.

Motorists stuck at a railroad crossing are secondary to community welfare.

Emergency vehicles such as ambulances sometimes are the unintended victims of the numerous trains that bring traffic to a standstill.

It is the aforementioned scenario that trumps state loyalties and political border battles.
When lives could be at stake, does it really matter from which state someone hails?

What is needed is a meeting between TxDOT officials and their peers in the Land of Enchantment.

Both state legislatures are patting themselves on the back for projected budget surpluses next year. If now is not a good time for Texas and New Mexico to split the cost of a railroad overpass down the middle, when will be a good time?

As a train conductor would say, now is the time for both states to get on board. - Editorial Opinion, The Amarillo Globe-News

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GENESEE & WYOMING RECONFIGURES NORTH AMERICAN OPERATING REGIONS

GREENWICH, CT -- Mortimer B. Fuller III, Chairman and CEO of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. announced Wednesday a rebalancing of North American operating regions as a result of the company's growth.

"The value of our regional structure is its responsiveness to customers and business opportunities in each of our operating units," Fuller said. "This realignment, effective January 1, 2007, reflects our focus on maintaining these advantages."

* A new Southern Region will consist of 13 railroads that were formerly part of the company's Rail Link Region, which has grown significantly in the last 10 years.

* A new Rocky Mountain Region will include the predominantly coal-hauling Utah Railway as well as Contract Coal Loading, the company's extensive operations in Wyoming's Powder River Basin and in Colorado, Illinois and Ohio that were previously managed as part of its Industrial Switching and Port Operations.

* The Tomahawk Railway moves from the Rail Link Region to the Illinois Region.

Billy Eason, who currently leads the Rail Link Region, has been appointed to lead the new Southern Region, the company's largest. He will be succeeded in the realigned Rail Link Region by Bill Jasper, currently its vice president of operation services.

"These changes were recommended and driven by Billy Eason to optimize customer service and operations and take advantage of regional development and growth opportunities," Fuller said. "We are also pleased to create the opportunity for Bill Jasper to lead the reconfigured Rail Link Region and to build its ports and industrial switching businesses."

Railroads in the new Southern Region are the Arkansas Louisiana & Mississippi Railroad, AN Railway, Atlantic & Western Railway, Bay Line Railroad, Chattahoochee Bay Railroad, Chattahoochee Industrial Railroad, East Tennessee Railway, Fordyce & Princeton Railroad, Kentucky West Tennessee Railway, Little Rock & Western Railway, Louisiana & Delta Railroad, Meridian & Bigbee Railroad, Valdosta Railway and Western Kentucky Railway.

The reconfigured Rail Link Region includes Industrial Switching and Port Operations, as well as the Commonwealth Railway, First Coast Railroad, Georgia Central Railway, Riceboro Southern Railway and York Railway Company.

GWI is a leading operator of short line and regional freight railroads in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Bolivia. GWI railroads operate in 26 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces and serve 12 U.S. ports. GWI operates more than 5,900 miles of owned and leased track and approximately 3,700 additional miles under track access arrangements. - PRNewswire.com, Source: Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

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NORTH DAKOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL WANTS COURT TO HEAR MINOT DERAILMENT CASE

BISMARCK, ND -- North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem is supporting a U.S. Supreme Court request by Minot, ND residents who are suing the Canadian Pacific Railway in connection with a January 2002 anhydrous ammonia spill.

The accident ruptured several tanker cars that carried the chemical, sending a toxic cloud over the city. One man died and hundreds were injured.

Last May, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that lawsuits filed against the Canadian Pacific in Minnesota state court should be handled in federal court. The railroad subsequently filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuits, which is pending.

Stenehjem said Wednesday that if the litigation remains in federal court, many Minot residents who were injured in the derailment may never be compensated.

"These folks, after five years, may wind up in federal court, only to be told ... that federal law doesn't allow them to recover anything," the attorney general said.

Nineteen other states, including Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota, signed a "friend of the court" brief by Stenehjem that backs the Minot residents' cause.

The Minot plaintiffs asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 16 to review the federal appeals court's ruling. A decision is pending.

Other states that signed the North Dakota brief were California, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. - WCCO-TV4, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN

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COUNTY JAIL COULD BE SITTING ON GOLD (AND AN OLD RAILROAD)

DALLAS, TX -- Dallas County may have struck gold with its new south jail tower -- literally.

A contractor who is drilling holes in the ground for support piers recently unearthed a sparkling substance embedded in rock that appeared to be gold, according to Dan Savage, the county's point man on construction projects.

It may also be fool's gold -- one of three minerals that are commonly mistaken for gold, Mr. Savage said.

Either way, there isn't enough of the substance to be of any value.

Too bad. The county could use the money.

The south jail tower, which will help alleviate a serious jail-crowding problem, is expected to cost $55 million.

Mr. Savage said the small specks were about the size of a pinhead, and there wasn't enough to cover the surface of a dime. The find was made in the past week, about 130 feet down.
"We thought it was kinda odd," he said. "We were running into everything in the world."

The contractor also hit a segment of old railroad track 11 feet down while trying to reach bedrock. Mr. Savage said it was probably part of a wooden railroad trestle over the Trinity River that was washed out during floods in the early 1900s.

The rusted track was in bad shape, however, and probably has no historical value.

Mr. Savage, though, plans to see if the Old Red Museum can use it. - Kevin Krause, The Dallas Morning News

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COUNTY APPROVES PACT FOR RAILWAY BRIDGE

VICTORVILLE, CA -- The first $5.5 million contract that will lead to a rail line into Southern California Logistics Airport was approved by the City Council this week.

The money will be used to build a bridge over National Trails Highway to allow rail traffic to pass.

Another roughly $25 million contract to build the tracks to the airport is expected to be awarded in the near future, City Manager Jon Roberts said.

The tracks will allow BNSF Railway Company access to the airport, where the railroad plans to build a huge new intermodal facility, where shipping containers are moved between trains and trucks. - The San Bernardino County Sun

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HOMELAND SECURITY PLAN ON RIGHT TRACK

Considering the events of Sept. 11, 2001 and other events and threats that have followed continuously, it's not surprising that the Homeland Security Department has mandated new protective measures concerning the rail system.

New rules include having freight and passenger rail systems inspect rail cars and when they are not in use, the cars should be kept in secure locations.

Some Democrats, wanting to turn this into a political rather than security issue, are clamoring that this move is "too little, too late," according to an Associated Press article.

The "too late" plaint doesn't wash, because as far as we know, the rail system hasn't been part of any terrorist attack plan. Ditto the "too little" argument. There's no way to know just how much security the rail systems need until something happens.

Nothing has happened and these new rules are in place to help ensure that nothing does happen.
"Too little, too late" is a specious argument.

From a practical and forward-looking point of view, the announcement Friday by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff was welcome. America's vast rail system has to be a tempting target for terrorists or others wishing ill for this country. It's estimated that there are approximately 220,000 miles of track crisscrossing the country.

Much rail territory is rural, where some kind of attack would be relatively easy. But rail systems also utilize large cities, where an attack could cause vast devastation.

Look at El Paso, with big rail yards and tracks running through much of the city and even under some buildings in Downtown El Paso.

An important part of Chertoff's plan involves lessening the amount of time that railroad cars transporting dangerous chemicals are allowed to stand still in one place. He correctly points out that this is when the cars are most vulnerable, saying, "A toxic emission from an attack against a chemical facility or hazardous chemicals in transit is among the most serious risks facing America's highest-threat areas.

"We're going to take a significant percentage of that risk off the table."

That's the key-taking risk off the table without unduly affecting the operations or efficiency of the railroads.

Democrats say that when they take over Congress next session, they'll have a proposal of their own to increase rail security even more than Homeland Security's plan. Fine, although the plan is already under heavy criticism for the cost of the proposal and a heavy degree of interference in the private sector.

If the plan, all or parts, prove workable, great. But until then, Homeland Security's new initiative looks workable and efficient without untoward intrusion in railroad operations. - Editorial Opinion, The El Paso (TX) Times

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THE INNER CHILD TAKES OVER WHERE THE OUTER CHILD LEAVES OFF

Letting go of your children's child hood sure is tough.

Parents and children everywhere are nodding their heads wisely.

My lightning-bolt moment that my 12-year-old had entered pre-teenager-hood happened this year - Dec. 3 at 10:15, to be exact.

Let's start at the beginning. She weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces - wait, that's too far back.

In October, my husband and I bought tickets for Mr. Jingeling's 50th anniversary ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. (OK, I'm the one who pushed it. He's not from Cleveland and doesn't understand about the "Keeper of the Keys.")

The promotional information promised stories, treats and fun for the participants. I became excited just thinking about it, remembering my childhood of watching Mr. Jingeling dangle keys on Halle's seventh floor.

The morning of the ride, the sun was shining brightly, the air was a little chilly, and we all were pretty excited. That is, I was pretty excited.

My just-turned 9-year-old was just sleepy. My husband was wondering exactly how much I had spent on these tickets. And my aforementioned 12-year-old daughter was simply appalled.

"Mom," she hissed, when we arrived at the station in Independence. "I am by far the oldest child here."

"No, you aren't, dear," I answered, looking around. "See?" I said, pointing to an obviously similarly appalled teenager. "She's older than you are."

We boarded the train, and my daughter sank deep into her seat, wishing for invisibility.

Mr. Jingeling arrived in our car about 30 minutes into the trip. He was great, telling stories, dashing up and down the aisle and thoroughly delighting the adults and children.

When he arrived for a one-on-one with our family, asking if we wanted to make a wish on his keys, my son was absolutely delighted. He grabbed the keys, closed his eyes tightly and made a wish.

My daughter's hand, lifted briefly from its position shielding her face, rested tentatively on the gigantic key. Her face was beet-red. This will be a memory, I can tell, she will use against me when I'm old and in need of help dressing.

"Mr. Dingeling is great!" my son enthused.

"It's Jingeling," I answered, distractedly, still watching my daughter.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. I looked wistfully at families with younger children. I remembered fondly the days when I could dress my daughter in a black velvet dress and white tights embellished with candy canes. (From afar, her legs looked like they had been attacked by red slugs. But I knew they were candy canes.)

These days, my shopping orders are simple: "I would like a gray shirt with no writing on it," she requested recently, when I told her we had to replenish her school wardrobe.

"No colors at all?" I asked.

"No. Gray. No words. No collar."

"How about some dresses?"

"No!" she replied, close to a scream.

Bummer.

On the train ride home, I reflected on the swiftness of childhood. I will miss the delight in holiday crafts, the train rides and the "Mommy is perfect" mentality.

But I also know I have a wonderful memory: a 12-year-old's beet-red face as she made a wish on a giant key.

Here's my secret: I bet, in her heart of hearts, she still believes.

And that makes me smile. - Susan Condon Love, The Cleveland Plain Dealer

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TRANSIT NEWS

RTD SHUTS DOWN ALL BUS, RAIL SERVICE

DENVER, CO -- Regional Transportation District buses are at a standstill for only the second time in a decade and won't roll again until snow-covered streets are safe, spokesman Scott Reed said.

Light rail is operational, however due to the big snow drifts at boarding stations, accommodating passengers will not happen until later in the day.

"We don't want people stuck on buses out in this," Reed said. "The roads are a mess, impassable in a lot of places."

Mass transit was called off at 19:00 Wednesday, marking the first such closure since the March 2003 blizzard. Light-rail service will continue today on a much-reduced basis where conditions allow it, Reed said. There will be no call-and-ride service Thursday.

Waiting in the blowing snow at an RTD bus stop in Edgewater on Wednesday afternoon, Andrea Pankin looked like a snowman, wrapped in layers and plastered with frost.

"Snow or not, I have to go to work," she said of her night shift job at a hospice. "My car isn't moving, and the taxicabs said it would take two hours to get me."

About 190,000 people ride RTD buses daily, with another 100,000 riding its shuttles and rails. As snow piled up Wednesday, some riders' determination to travel was surprising, Reed said. "We've had people calling up today to see if we could take them to the Nuggets game," he said. "That's crazy. This is a life-and-death situation we're dealing with."

Delays for RTD's 1,071 buses were the norm Wednesday, some lasting hours because of snarled traffic and slick roads. The route between Boulder and Denver was the hardest hit, Reed said.

Mary Zamora ended up taking a three-hour bus ride in the snow after leaving her downtown office in the Republic Plaza around 11:00. She caught the Boulder-bound "B" bus for her journey to the Westminster park-n-Ride. Every seat was taken and people were standing in the aisle, Zamora said. When she reached Westminster, she couldn't budge her Nissan sedan from the lot because of huge drifts.

She planned to walk to Westminster Mall to get a ride home from there, but traffic was so snarled she feared she wouldn't be able to make it across the street without risking injury.
A couple of good Samaritans in a van gave Zamora a ride home, about 2 miles from the park-n-Ride. "I hope we don't have to repeat this for a very long time," she said.

The problems for commuters reaching Denver International Airport began much earlier in the day. Before noon, major shuttle services left callers on hold indefinitely.

A reservation clerk in Super Shuttle's corporate office said the van line had closed, but could offer no further explanation. Peña Boulevard, the only route to the airport, closed a short time later. - Joey Bunch, The Denver Post

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PORTLAND-TO-MILWAUKIE LIGHT-RAIL MOVES FORWARD

MILWAUKIE, OR -- As construction of the Interstate 205 light-rail line gets under way, Metro and TriMet are turning their attention to the southern leg of the Portland-area rail project -- a proposed 6-mile Portland-to-Milwaukie segment.

Kenny Asher, Milwaukie's community development and public works director, and representatives of the two agencies were to brief the City Council on Tuesday on the start of the second-phase draft environmental impact study, which will begin in April for the much-debated project.

Milwaukie is kicking in $200,000 to help pay for the $4.2 million study that will analyze, among other things, ridership projections, economic development, user benefits, and the proposed project's impact on the environment and traffic.

Asher said the study should be completed by the summer of 2008. It will be used to come up with a proposed light-rail alignment that will be included in a report to the Federal Transit Administration that provides funding for transportation projects.

The agency's approval could signal construction of a Portland-to-Milwaukie line by 2011.

Southeast Portland and Milwaukie residents and businesses will have several chances to say how they feel about light rail at a number of public briefings, meetings and hearings to be held next year and into 2008.

Public opinion in Milwaukie has hardly embraced the concept of light rail. In 1998, Milwaukie voters along with a majority of Clackamas County voters rejected a $475 million south-north light-rail financing package to run a four-mile stretch of light-rail line along Oregon 224 from the Clackamas Town Center to the former Safeway site in downtown Milwaukie.

Three years later, the Milwaukie Neighborhood Association came up with a 14-point plan, conditions under which it could support light rail as long as the line didn't pass through neighborhoods.

In 2003, the City Council approved a locally preferred alternative that, among other things, called for a 600-car parking structure and transit center at the Southgate Theater, a crossover line from Main Street to the Tillamook branch railroad tracks, a Lake Road station that would serve as the southern terminus of the line, and a 275-space park-and-ride at Washington and Main streets to serve the Lake Road station.

But opposition from North Main Street industrial leaders prompted formation of a 35-member working group to study other possible alignments. The group came up with 10 alternatives before settling on the Tillamook Branch alignment and a new suggested terminus at Kellogg Lake.

The City Council adopted the group's recommendation in 2004, despite objections from several residents.

However, the council dropped Kellogg Lake as a future transit center in November of last year after learning the property had been donated to the city 15 years earlier as a park, in memory of the late Robert Kronberg.

But the debate didn't end there. When TriMet proposed to build a 329-space park-and-ride lot at the former Southgate Theater this year, many North Main Street business leaders protested.
Some claimed TriMet hadn't done a thorough traffic study.

After the council approved the $2 million project in May, attorneys representing 11 businesses in the area appealed the council's decision to the state Land Use Board of Appeals.

Last week, LUBA upheld the council's decision -- about the same time demolition crews began tearing down the 34-year-old theater to make way for the park-and-ride facility. - Dennis McCarthy, The Portland Oregonian

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HISTORIC LITTLETON SHINES

LITTLETON, CO -- OK, I'll admit it. This column is a shameless promotion for my hometown. But honest, folks, you shouldn't miss Littleton's historic Main Street during the holiday season.

Not only is it one of the few authentic historic downtowns remaining in the metro area. Not only has the city put more than 1 million tiny lights onto the trees lining the four-block shopping area, making it a true "winter wonderland." But unique specialty shops have opened, the arts are alive and well, new restaurants offer a wide variety of food and adult beverages for patrons' pleasure, and the area is bustling.

It wasn't always thus. In the 1970s, downtown Littleton fell into decay when Southglenn Mall and Southwest Plaza opened. As competition increased, merchants couldn't agree what to do, and infighting and wrangling evolved. Soon the area was marked by vacant buildings and the few remaining merchants were barely hanging on.

Littleton city leaders, increasingly concerned about the situation, committed to a long-range strategy of investing in its downtown. The city established a matching fund that helped merchants who were willing to restore the historic facades of their buildings. At first, property owners were skeptical. But eventually one or two renovated their buildings, and others, seeing the results, began to follow suit.

Meanwhile, the city's former town hall was sitting vacant. Community-wide fundraising turned the graceful 1920s Italianate building into today's Town Hall Arts Center. Unfortunately, the fledgling performing arts center struggled to keep its doors open financially, requiring city subsidies to avoid "going dark" and further weakening the economy of downtown.

Undeterred, the city journeyed on. It took ownership of Littleton Boulevard from the state so it could widen the sidewalks in the downtown area to make them more walkable. It rebuilt streets and installed historic-looking lights, banners and summertime flowers. It lovingly restored the old Arapahoe County courthouse, which anchors the east end of Main Street, for the use of city courts, and bought land adjacent to the courthouse for a major recreation center.

As these efforts were unfolding, Littleton's 20-year effort to bring light rail to the southwest corridor finally succeeded. The city restored the historic Denver and Rio Grande Railroad depot for use as the new downtown light rail station, and commissioned a colorful mural depicting the town's historic structures for the station's retaining wall.

New, innovative retailers began to move in. They formed an active merchants' association that implemented special events to draw people to downtown, including a summertime farmers' market, a Taste of Littleton night, International Days, a just slightly crazy Pumpkin Follies and Goat Show near Halloween, and more.

Historic preservation played a significant, although controversial, role in the revitalization of Main Street. After the city nominated several buildings for the National Register of Historic Places, interest grew in preserving other historic buildings in the area. The city's initial proposal to establish an area-wide, mandatory historic district was strongly opposed by some property owners. Fortunately, extensive negotiations involving many of the newer merchants led to establishment of a smaller voluntary district that is preserving the character of much of Main Street.

Seeing the success of light rail and historic preservation, visionary developers began purchasing properties and bringing back their historic character. Beautifully restored two-story buildings now are home to shops on the ground level with professional offices on the upper floors.

Under the leadership of a new board of directors, Town Hall Arts Center began winning awards for its productions, and today is not only in the black, but is drawing audiences from across the metro area.

And throughout it all, the city's award-winning "economic gardening" approach has been at work, providing strategic information and marketing strategies to enable Main Street's independent merchants to compete successfully in their special niches.

Today, the city's long-term vision and commitment to Main Street, significant investment by private developers, and an influx of new and innovative merchants has led to a sparkling historic area offering a unique shopping, dining and arts experience. The success of Main Street is a lesson in long-term planning, perseverance, hard work and mutual cooperation to benefit everyone concerned.

Come on down to Littleton and finish your holiday shopping! - Susan Thornton, The Denver Post

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