Friday, September 19, 2008

Ogden Streetcar Study Moves Forward

UTA begins its search for a contracted study consultant next month

Good news for fanciers of an Ogden streetcar system, gentle readers. Scott Schwebke reports this morning that stakeholder pledges have been rounded up, and that the UTA will be hiring a study consultant very soon:

OGDEN — A search will get under way next month for a consultant to undertake a $750,000 study that may lead to a streetcar system along the busy downtown to Weber State University-McKay-Dee Hospital corridor.
Mick Crandall, deputy chief of planning and programming for the Utah Transit Authority, reviewed with the city council during a Thursday night work session a memo detailing a timeline for completing the study.
Funding for the study will come from $231,250 in Utah Transit Authority federal money pledged for local transportation analysis and $58,750 set aside in the city’s fiscal 2009 budget.
In addition, Weber State University has been asked to contribute $140,000, and Intermountain Health Care, which is the parent company of McKay-Dee Hospital, has been asked to provide $30,000.
Efforts to advertise for a consultant for the study will begin in early October, according to the UTA memo.
For those of us who've felt that this project has been moving like molasses, it's encouraging to observe that the project is approaching another important milestone.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't count on progress with this. Godfrey has made it clear that a GONDOLA will be the only form of public transportation in Ogden. Godfrey will drag his little size 5 feet, and continue to fight public sentiment.

The only way Ogden City citizens will ever beat this Gondolist recalcitrant, will be to catch him in a felonious act, whereby he can be impeached.

Keep your eyes peeled, fellow lumpencitizens.

Anonymous said...

It's going to come back "too expensive"...and the magical answer will be "HEY...jam a gondola in here! It's the ONLY answer!" Mark my words...

WhatWardRUin said...

wsu

you are absolutely correct. godfrey has instructed his staff to "push" the study to a speedy conclusion; not so we can have reliable transit, but to get the price tag on the table as soon a possible. the city's new preferred alignments will add expense and the state has already said that harrison is too narrow, so major right-of-way will be added for construction. when the once $100 million streetcar comes in at $300 million the feds will determine that it is not feasible because the cost per new rider is above their spending limit. godfrey will declare that he can build a gondola, now with "minimal" public investment for under $50 million. it used to be all "private" investment, but all the waiting and delays caused by studying the streetcar has caused the inclusion of public money a necessity. the same citizens that re-elected godfrey will certainly vote to bond for his transit saving gondola.

Anonymous said...

Oh count me in, for sure.
I'm all over that gondola.
Hell, I'm all over "under-projected costs" AND "over-budgeted at the last minute" projects.

THE 4-HEAD IS MY MAIN MAN! eeerrr...whatever...

Anonymous said...

Oh...wait...

Right you are, Ward! Right you are!

Anonymous said...

Seriously...sometimes you just have to find a way to laugh at the total insanity. Or you will go insane.

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