BOB2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Rich and also Carole,
>
> I don't want to hurt anyone's rice bowl, but, so
> much has been wasted over the previous years on
> sheer nonsense by CHSRA, with no serious
> oversight, that it is truly staggering, even to a
> "consultant".
>
> As Dr. Deming used to ask: What are we doing and
> why are we doing it? It is an important question
> that was never really answered, despite the
> squandering of millions on "planning" by CHSRA, at
> least until now. I'm still not convinced we've
> answered it very well, despite this move to a more
> realistic approach.
>
> The shared or "blended" segments under discussion
> fall generally within the existing publicly owned
> tracks and right of way largely within the
> urbanized areas, or through expanded easements,
> which would have to be negotiated, also primarily
> in urbanized areas.
>
> Both railroads can only be at least more willing
> to talk with the "new" people at CHSRA, who at
> least are no longer proposing things that were
> ridiculous and didn't make any sense within these
> respective easements in the rural areas.
>
> Even from a "consultant" persceptive, this project
> was always way too long on bull, but way too short
> on steer, and that's why it got to this messy.
> This project is off of life support where it was
> languishing, but it is still in "intensive care",
> and it is still not at all "well", yet.
>
> Consultants managing consultants, at least the way
> it has been handled by this organization, has not
> proven to be an efficient or effective means of
> managing or planning a cost effective project.
>
> So what is still missing, is an effective or
> properly staffed administrative and planning
> process, with sufficient public overisght, with
> more transparent contracting, with better
> analsysis and planing, including more serious cost
> benefit analysis, more value engineering, with
> good leadership and adequate staffing. This is
> needed to transform what has been a largely
> rudderless and dysfunctional public agency into a
> responsive and responsible organization to
> actually have the capacity to carry out even this
> changing and more realistic vision.


Well, from my MBA classes it wasnt all Deming but "what business are we in" and also, "follow the cash". But I digress. You are totally right about what needs to be done here but all that has been done so far is to pay a buncha consultants to say precisely what you are saying and what everyone knows before they hired the consultants but-----who is going to be able to step in, take charge, set the direction and get it done?? never mind the stacks and stacks of reports and studies.What we need is a blast from the past, someone like good old Henry J Kaiser who would come in and assess the situation and just bulldoze it ahead---------------and it might happen. HOWEVER----Henry didnt have OSHA, the EPA, the environmentalists and etc. sooooooooooooooooo----any other ideas, people?? :-) I think the general idea was don't ask permission, just ask forgiveness after it's all over and sucessfully done .
:-)
C.
W
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