Read the letters in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Expensive ride
Five years ago, Mayor Moncrief and City Hall threw a party when Radio Shack destroyed the Tandy Subway that moved hundreds of people daily. Now they want streetcars because they are trendy. However, based on $88 million for three miles of tracks and electric lines, these trendy cars will cost $5,555.55 per foot or $462.96 per inch.
At a time when the city is shedding services like so much dandruff, can we afford this? The free buses and trolley downtown cruise around mainly empty while the heaviest public ridership lies on the east side, where the city has no plans at any time for a streetcar. The streetcar would only benefit a limited number of realtors and developers.
-- Catherine Clyde, Fort Worth
Streetcar costs
Seldom do I find myself in agreement with the Star-Telegram Editorial Board, but we seem to agree on streetcars. In fact, I would go one step further. I think the question should be, would having public transportation along the Main Street corridor be worth the cost?
I think the answer is no, but if the answer is yes, you ask the next question: how to best provide that service?
At this point, you evaluate streetcars versus buses. I have seen the figure of $80 million to $90 million for streetcars compared to $5 million for buses. You also have to evaluate how long it would take to get the service started -- years versus months. There also is a big rip-out expense to consider if something goes wrong on streetcars.
The part of this argument that really fries me is people who consider the $25 million of federal grant "free money." There is no tree in D.C. that grows money. That tree is in China, and it will have to be paid back by our grandkids, plus a lot of interest.
I can understand why Fort Worth has a big budget problem if it has spent $800,000 to look at this issue.
-- Dick Deatrick, Fort Worth
Monday, November 22, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
What do YOU say?
Good Letters to the Editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram concerning the Streetcar Silliness. Read them all here.
If Mayor Mike Moncrief and the City Council force the taxpayers to pay for a dream they have -- a streetcar that we taxpayers will not use -- we (the conservatives) will stand up and ensure they will never hold any office again.
Stop spending our money. It is not yours to spend. We put you in office to do our business; to do what we want. If you think this is such a good idea, put it up for a vote by the people.
-- Paul L. Rudisill, Keller
If Mayor Mike Moncrief and the City Council force the taxpayers to pay for a dream they have -- a streetcar that we taxpayers will not use -- we (the conservatives) will stand up and ensure they will never hold any office again.
Stop spending our money. It is not yours to spend. We put you in office to do our business; to do what we want. If you think this is such a good idea, put it up for a vote by the people.
-- Paul L. Rudisill, Keller
BS Update
What is Steve on Carter Ave up to? Well, Channel 11 caught up with him last night. Don't miss this story. Good information from Lon Burnam and more BS statements from Mayor Moncrief. Something about regulators not doing their jobs so Fort Worth will do it. WHAT? The profiting Mayor and council are mostly to blame for getting us in to this mess and putting our citizens at risk.
Congratulations to Josh Fox!! Word on the street is Gasland is shortlisted for Academy Awards!! Go, Josh, Go!
Grand Prairie has announced a gas drilling moratorium on all new permits. THE PEOPLE are listening!
Not only are property values plummeting around gas drilling locations (that would be most all of Tarrant County) now some banks won't finance properties in those areas either. Uh oh...better save your huge royalty checks, then you can pay cash. Read about it here. You can also read the letter from the Bartonville Mayor to Senator Nelson on their site as well.
If you missed the 60 Minutes gas drilling story, here is a recap.
What do THE PEOPLE say about the gas drilling meeting in Fort Worth last night? "It was another waste of time, another industry dog and pony show. WHO did the majority of the talking? The industry, of course".
It's your turn! Make some noise!
Name of the game - Eminent Domain
What ever happened on the lawsuit by those citizens involved in the Trans Texas Corridor eminent domain land grab?
And where is Billy Mitchell when you need him?
What happens when you cover a county in concrete? Stay tuned.
Read the story on NBC5.com.
Fort Worth Streetcar causing a Scene
Check out NBC 5's story here.
Another good article on the Fort Worth Streetcar issue "What Fort Worth’s Political Class Means by ‘Financially Viable’ on Whoplanswhom.com brings up some interesting players in the game, such as HDR Engineering and are you ready for it, the COG. (North Central Texas Council of Governments). Imagine that.
Granted, part of the problem with this claim is the source of the funding for the study in the first place. The consulting firm, HDR Engineering Inc., is widely known for government transit planning and has a reputation to maintain among government bodies. If HDR began releasing findings that predicted the overall unfavorable consequences of government meddling, then HDR might begin to receive fewer government contracts.
Making this even more suspect, the original source of funding for the Fort Worth study came from the Regional Transportation Council, an arm of the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), totaling approximately $1.6 million. Nearly one million dollars went to HDR. For those who do not already know, the NCTCOG has been on a tear in recent years to push for tolled lanes on existing free highways and for an extension of existing government-managed mass transportation.
So is it any surprise that the city council of Fort Worth and the NCTCOG got exactly what they paid for?
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Granger No-brainer
The Fort Worth Transportation Authority and two other agencies spent a combined $25,000 to ship a streetcar from Portland, Ore., to downtown Fort Worth, where the car will be displayed while city officials debate whether to commit millions of future tax dollars to electrified rail.
Officials said using public funds to bring the streetcar here is not an attempt to buy support for the proposed three-mile, $88 million streetcar system. Instead, they said, it's an effort to educate residents about what a modern streetcar looks like and how it might serve their neighborhoods.
Of course that is what THEY say. THAT would be illegal and unethical. And things like that never happen in Fort Worth, right? WHO's money is it again? Oh yes, THE PUBLIC's.
The T contributed $8,000 to the display, Ruddell said. The Trinity River Vision Authority paid the largest share, $12,000, and Fort Worth South paid $5,000, Trinity River Vision Authority Executive Director J.D. Granger said.
"It's a no-brainer," he said. "We're being asked to invest $30 million" just for the Trinity River Vision portion.
Someone ask J.D. Granger WHO WE is?
Fort Worth Streetcar Questions
Read about it in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Letters to the Editor. Good letter on streetcar consulting as well.
Seems THE PEOPLE are listening. WHY aren't their "leaders" and the "news"? Could it be because the "leaders" buy the "news"??
Streetcar questions
In architecture school, I was taught that no feasibility study ever finds the project to be infeasible. The client will be disappointed if the project is not feasible, and the consultant does not want to disappoint the client. Therefore, the purpose of a feasibility study is to determine the conditions necessary for the project to be feasible.
The report may say, "In order for this project to succeed, the earth will have to start spinning backward, and pigs will have to fly. Not some pigs; all pigs."
But it will not say the project is infeasible. It is up to the client to come to that conclusion. That way, he's disappointed with external circumstances, not with the consultant -- to whom he will say, "You did the best you could; the conditions just weren't right."
Keep this in mind when evaluating the streetcar study.
A consultant will never report that the project is a bad idea. He'll report the conditions necessary to make it a good idea -- and leave us to decide if the conditions are achievable. Number of riders, increased value of real estate along the route, levels of voluntary self-taxation of businesses involved -- evaluate them carefully.
-- George Michael Sherry, Fort Worth
On what planet is J.D. Granger living? Granger said that three unnamed developers will start sooner and one will build nine stories instead of three stories because of "streetcars" instead of rubber-wheeled transportation. (See: "Streetcars crucial to Trinity River Vision, advocates say," Monday)
Granger could have said 10 developers; it would sound better. He also said they expect 15,000 to 25,000 residents. Why not say 250,000? That's a number pulled out of the air, too.
Another Monday article said 40 units were sold in the past year within blocks of the Trinity Project. (See: "Rising to the challenge," Monday) How do you get from 75 people to 15,000? Oops; it's "streetcars."
Maybe it's "if they build it, they will come." Ask the developers of the Villa De Leon and the Le Bijou how well that worked. All the growth in Fort Worth has been outside the Loop 820 corridor but because of "streetcars" 25,000 people will suddenly appear in the downtown area?
I think it's a fair question to ask the unnamed developers why they think putting steel in the ground instead of rubber on the streets will attract 25,000 people. We deserve the answer before we spend $90 million instead of $5 million.
-- Marvin Chosky, Bedford
Seems THE PEOPLE are listening. WHY aren't their "leaders" and the "news"? Could it be because the "leaders" buy the "news"??
Streetcar questions
In architecture school, I was taught that no feasibility study ever finds the project to be infeasible. The client will be disappointed if the project is not feasible, and the consultant does not want to disappoint the client. Therefore, the purpose of a feasibility study is to determine the conditions necessary for the project to be feasible.
The report may say, "In order for this project to succeed, the earth will have to start spinning backward, and pigs will have to fly. Not some pigs; all pigs."
But it will not say the project is infeasible. It is up to the client to come to that conclusion. That way, he's disappointed with external circumstances, not with the consultant -- to whom he will say, "You did the best you could; the conditions just weren't right."
Keep this in mind when evaluating the streetcar study.
A consultant will never report that the project is a bad idea. He'll report the conditions necessary to make it a good idea -- and leave us to decide if the conditions are achievable. Number of riders, increased value of real estate along the route, levels of voluntary self-taxation of businesses involved -- evaluate them carefully.
-- George Michael Sherry, Fort Worth
On what planet is J.D. Granger living? Granger said that three unnamed developers will start sooner and one will build nine stories instead of three stories because of "streetcars" instead of rubber-wheeled transportation. (See: "Streetcars crucial to Trinity River Vision, advocates say," Monday)
Granger could have said 10 developers; it would sound better. He also said they expect 15,000 to 25,000 residents. Why not say 250,000? That's a number pulled out of the air, too.
Another Monday article said 40 units were sold in the past year within blocks of the Trinity Project. (See: "Rising to the challenge," Monday) How do you get from 75 people to 15,000? Oops; it's "streetcars."
Maybe it's "if they build it, they will come." Ask the developers of the Villa De Leon and the Le Bijou how well that worked. All the growth in Fort Worth has been outside the Loop 820 corridor but because of "streetcars" 25,000 people will suddenly appear in the downtown area?
I think it's a fair question to ask the unnamed developers why they think putting steel in the ground instead of rubber on the streets will attract 25,000 people. We deserve the answer before we spend $90 million instead of $5 million.
-- Marvin Chosky, Bedford
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
What do THE PEOPLE say?
Check out the Letters in the FW Weekly. Good ones on YOUR water supply and bullying in Fort Worth.
Our favorite? Check it out.
The Rest of the (Ethics) Pie
To the editor: Clyde Picht’s letter in response to “Has Fort Worth Lost Its Moral Compass?” (Sept 22, 2010) was so comprehensive in detail that it reminds us of Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story.” Clyde is articulate and knows his politics, especially when it concerns the Moncrief Mafia.
Thank you, Clyde, for giving us the “rest of the pie” (not just a slice), and thanks to Fort Worth Weekly for publishing his letter.
Sharon R. Stroud
Fort Worth
Our favorite? Check it out.
The Rest of the (Ethics) Pie
To the editor: Clyde Picht’s letter in response to “Has Fort Worth Lost Its Moral Compass?” (Sept 22, 2010) was so comprehensive in detail that it reminds us of Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story.” Clyde is articulate and knows his politics, especially when it concerns the Moncrief Mafia.
Thank you, Clyde, for giving us the “rest of the pie” (not just a slice), and thanks to Fort Worth Weekly for publishing his letter.
Sharon R. Stroud
Fort Worth
This just in...
Adrian Murray has got the hang of how to read the local "news". Read it below. Welcome aboard!
WHAT THEY SAID AND WHAT THEY MEANT
The headline:
Fort Worth Streetcar Supporters Make Final Push
What it meant
City Elite Preparing to Cram Streetcar Down Taxpayers Throats
The opening paragraph:
Supporters of bringing streetcars back to Fort Worth are ready to take their case to the public.
What it means:
Let the lying begin.
What's in the works:
Beginning Wednesday, a streetcar on loan from a system in Oregon will be displayed through Thanksgiving at the corner of Seventh and Throckmorton streets in downtown Fort Worth.
What it means:
Someone is fixing to make so much money on this swindle that they shipped a freaking streetcar all the way to Fort Worth from Oregon.
What he said:
"We want people to touch it and feel it and ask questions," Mayor Mike Moncrief said Tuesday during a break at a council meeting."
What he meant:
"The people are so incredibly stupid we're fairly certain if we let them touch and feel a freaking electric bus they'll never notice their tax dollars being wasted on the idiotic streetcar."
What's coming next:
The mayor and several council members also directed city staff to organize a town hall-style meeting some time in the next week or two, and invite residents from all parts of the city to learn about the potential costs and benefits of a streetcar system.
What it means:
Time to ratchet up the BS.
Why the dog and pony show?
"I think it’s time for us to listen to people on this issue, whether they live on the outskirts or the inner core of the city," Moncrief told council members.
What he really means:
"When the poor suckers realize our elite friends in the Fort Worth power circle pocketed tens of millions in this deal and all they got in return was a stupid electric bus going up and down Main Street, we need to be on record as having given them the opportunity to speak beforehand. It's not our fault they couldn't put two and two together."
What's the problem?
At issue is whether the city should accept a $25 million federal grant, and add another $58 million to $63 million in local property tax funds, to build an electrified streetcar rail system from downtown to the Trinity River Vision project on the North Side, and to the medical district on the Near South Side.
What's the answer?
Absolutely not.
Why is that?
Several council members say the city can’t afford to spend public dollars on a project that is aimed more at sparking urban development than relieving traffic, especially when the city is slashing services and laying off workers to make ends meet.
What that really means:
There is no practical economic excuse for spending $100 million or so on a stupid electric bus, tear up city streets for years while it's being constructed and generally disrupt people's lives and bust the city budget.
What he said:
"To be brutally frank about it, nobody in my area is going to benefit from it," said Councilman Carter Burdette, whose district includes west and northwest Fort Worth.
What he meant:
Don't blame my ass.
What he said:
Councilman Joel Burns, whose district includes the city’s south and downtown areas, noted that the local funds for the project can be paid for with special property tax districts. There’s a misperception, he said, that streetcars are competing for funding against a proposed commuter rail line from southwest Fort Worth to Grapevine and Dallas/Fort Worth that is being planned by 2015
What he meant:
I sincerely believe Fort Worth citizens are the stupidest lifeforms on earth, maybe even lower than Brad Watson. Seriously, I just said that some people think an electric bus going up and down Main Street would compete against the commuter rail line between Fort Worth and Dallas. True, they both are in contention as the greatest waste of taxpayer dollars since some genius thought up the Trinity River Vision, but we're quite capable of wasting huge amounts of taxpayer money on two projects simultaneously. Come on, get real. We're politicians. That's what we're paid to do.
What he said:
"I hope we make a strong effort to inform folks about what differentiates streetcars and commuter rail," Burns said.
What he meant:
Maybe if we draw them pictures they'll be able to figure it out.
What they suggest:
A consultant, HDR Engineering, has recommended that the city form a local government corporation to run the streetcar program. The corporation would include representatives from the city, the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, the tax increment financing districts and area property owners.
What they mean:
There's plenty of money to be made here, folks. No need for shoving. Let's let the idiot voters smell the new leather seats in the stupid electric bus while we agree on how to divide the loot.
What they're saying:
A few members of the transportation authority, also known as the T, have spoken out against the project. The T board is scheduled to get a briefing from the consultant Wednesday during a meeting in southeast Fort Worth.
What that means:
Where's our vig?
Why she objects:
T board member Reby Cary has criticized the plan for diverting federal transportation funds away from the city’s southeast side, where there are many predominately African-American neighborhoods. Bus ridership is high in those areas, Cary said, and transit improvements are sorely needed.
What she means:
I have Al Sharpton's cell phone number.
What happens next?
The debate during the next three weeks likely will pit residents of Fort Worth’s central neighborhoods, where support for streetcars is perceived to be higher, against residents of outlying areas where residents presumably desire more room for cars.
What that means:
We'll pretend we're listening to the little folks but we'll put the damn electric bus wherever we damn well please.
Why he's for it:
Councilman Sal Espino, who represents the North Side, said the public needs to understand that Fort Worth has a long-term plan to create urban, walkable villages within the city’s older neighborhoods. The streetcar plan would tap into property taxes only in these areas.
"You have the Baby Boomers. Their nest egg is empty. They’re looking for places to live," Espino said. "Then you have Generation Y, they were born between 1977 and 1994, and they’re looking to get close to the city."
What he's saying:
Don't I sound smart? I know the dates of Generation Y. I'm a freaking statistician. Of course, never mind the fact that half those people born in 1977 will have died of old age before the first condo goes up for sale in Trinity Uptown. And please don't ask me why there are so many vacancies in downtown loft apartments now. I'm really fairly stupid.
How it works:
On the North Side, a tax district created for the Trinity River Vision – a proposal to reroute the Trinity River and create an island of mixed-use development just north of downtown – has already pledged support for the streetcar plan. A tax district for the South Side also has expressed support for dedicating its future property taxes to the project.
What that means:
The whole city is a freaking TIF. We've already pledged all future property tax revenues until the year 2525. We're broke. Did someone say $25 million in FEDERAL dollars?
What's at stake:
The $25 million federal grant, meanwhile, could be used to connect those two neighborhoods to downtown.
What that means:
Whatever, whatever, just give us the $25 million. Gideon Toal and Freese & Nichols have been all over my ass for a year now demanding their share of the tribute and just last night Brian Eppstein threatened to cut off the end of my nose if I didn't close this deal so stop asking me questions and SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!!
For the original article, go here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/11/16/2637507/fort-worth-streetcar-backers-seeking.html
WHAT THEY SAID AND WHAT THEY MEANT
The headline:
Fort Worth Streetcar Supporters Make Final Push
What it meant
City Elite Preparing to Cram Streetcar Down Taxpayers Throats
The opening paragraph:
Supporters of bringing streetcars back to Fort Worth are ready to take their case to the public.
What it means:
Let the lying begin.
What's in the works:
Beginning Wednesday, a streetcar on loan from a system in Oregon will be displayed through Thanksgiving at the corner of Seventh and Throckmorton streets in downtown Fort Worth.
What it means:
Someone is fixing to make so much money on this swindle that they shipped a freaking streetcar all the way to Fort Worth from Oregon.
What he said:
"We want people to touch it and feel it and ask questions," Mayor Mike Moncrief said Tuesday during a break at a council meeting."
What he meant:
"The people are so incredibly stupid we're fairly certain if we let them touch and feel a freaking electric bus they'll never notice their tax dollars being wasted on the idiotic streetcar."
What's coming next:
The mayor and several council members also directed city staff to organize a town hall-style meeting some time in the next week or two, and invite residents from all parts of the city to learn about the potential costs and benefits of a streetcar system.
What it means:
Time to ratchet up the BS.
Why the dog and pony show?
"I think it’s time for us to listen to people on this issue, whether they live on the outskirts or the inner core of the city," Moncrief told council members.
What he really means:
"When the poor suckers realize our elite friends in the Fort Worth power circle pocketed tens of millions in this deal and all they got in return was a stupid electric bus going up and down Main Street, we need to be on record as having given them the opportunity to speak beforehand. It's not our fault they couldn't put two and two together."
What's the problem?
At issue is whether the city should accept a $25 million federal grant, and add another $58 million to $63 million in local property tax funds, to build an electrified streetcar rail system from downtown to the Trinity River Vision project on the North Side, and to the medical district on the Near South Side.
What's the answer?
Absolutely not.
Why is that?
Several council members say the city can’t afford to spend public dollars on a project that is aimed more at sparking urban development than relieving traffic, especially when the city is slashing services and laying off workers to make ends meet.
What that really means:
There is no practical economic excuse for spending $100 million or so on a stupid electric bus, tear up city streets for years while it's being constructed and generally disrupt people's lives and bust the city budget.
What he said:
"To be brutally frank about it, nobody in my area is going to benefit from it," said Councilman Carter Burdette, whose district includes west and northwest Fort Worth.
What he meant:
Don't blame my ass.
What he said:
Councilman Joel Burns, whose district includes the city’s south and downtown areas, noted that the local funds for the project can be paid for with special property tax districts. There’s a misperception, he said, that streetcars are competing for funding against a proposed commuter rail line from southwest Fort Worth to Grapevine and Dallas/Fort Worth that is being planned by 2015
What he meant:
I sincerely believe Fort Worth citizens are the stupidest lifeforms on earth, maybe even lower than Brad Watson. Seriously, I just said that some people think an electric bus going up and down Main Street would compete against the commuter rail line between Fort Worth and Dallas. True, they both are in contention as the greatest waste of taxpayer dollars since some genius thought up the Trinity River Vision, but we're quite capable of wasting huge amounts of taxpayer money on two projects simultaneously. Come on, get real. We're politicians. That's what we're paid to do.
What he said:
"I hope we make a strong effort to inform folks about what differentiates streetcars and commuter rail," Burns said.
What he meant:
Maybe if we draw them pictures they'll be able to figure it out.
What they suggest:
A consultant, HDR Engineering, has recommended that the city form a local government corporation to run the streetcar program. The corporation would include representatives from the city, the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, the tax increment financing districts and area property owners.
What they mean:
There's plenty of money to be made here, folks. No need for shoving. Let's let the idiot voters smell the new leather seats in the stupid electric bus while we agree on how to divide the loot.
What they're saying:
A few members of the transportation authority, also known as the T, have spoken out against the project. The T board is scheduled to get a briefing from the consultant Wednesday during a meeting in southeast Fort Worth.
What that means:
Where's our vig?
Why she objects:
T board member Reby Cary has criticized the plan for diverting federal transportation funds away from the city’s southeast side, where there are many predominately African-American neighborhoods. Bus ridership is high in those areas, Cary said, and transit improvements are sorely needed.
What she means:
I have Al Sharpton's cell phone number.
What happens next?
The debate during the next three weeks likely will pit residents of Fort Worth’s central neighborhoods, where support for streetcars is perceived to be higher, against residents of outlying areas where residents presumably desire more room for cars.
What that means:
We'll pretend we're listening to the little folks but we'll put the damn electric bus wherever we damn well please.
Why he's for it:
Councilman Sal Espino, who represents the North Side, said the public needs to understand that Fort Worth has a long-term plan to create urban, walkable villages within the city’s older neighborhoods. The streetcar plan would tap into property taxes only in these areas.
"You have the Baby Boomers. Their nest egg is empty. They’re looking for places to live," Espino said. "Then you have Generation Y, they were born between 1977 and 1994, and they’re looking to get close to the city."
What he's saying:
Don't I sound smart? I know the dates of Generation Y. I'm a freaking statistician. Of course, never mind the fact that half those people born in 1977 will have died of old age before the first condo goes up for sale in Trinity Uptown. And please don't ask me why there are so many vacancies in downtown loft apartments now. I'm really fairly stupid.
How it works:
On the North Side, a tax district created for the Trinity River Vision – a proposal to reroute the Trinity River and create an island of mixed-use development just north of downtown – has already pledged support for the streetcar plan. A tax district for the South Side also has expressed support for dedicating its future property taxes to the project.
What that means:
The whole city is a freaking TIF. We've already pledged all future property tax revenues until the year 2525. We're broke. Did someone say $25 million in FEDERAL dollars?
What's at stake:
The $25 million federal grant, meanwhile, could be used to connect those two neighborhoods to downtown.
What that means:
Whatever, whatever, just give us the $25 million. Gideon Toal and Freese & Nichols have been all over my ass for a year now demanding their share of the tribute and just last night Brian Eppstein threatened to cut off the end of my nose if I didn't close this deal so stop asking me questions and SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!!
For the original article, go here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/11/16/2637507/fort-worth-streetcar-backers-seeking.html
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