Cincinnati Streetcar will help build a great city (Subscriber Content for the Business Courier)

 

Written by Michael Schuster, President of MSA Architects and Ohio Chapter President of AIA

 

Clearly, there will be a cost for our progress. But it is less costly than if we continue to say no to all progress.

 

It takes visionary leadership to move our city forward. We will prosper with great leadership and vision, but we will take many steps backward if we support the idea of no.

 

A truly great city is not one-dimensional. It is diverse, dynamic, progressive, livable and thoughtful. Cincinnati is a great city.

 

Very well written article. Read it if you are a subscriber.

^That is a great article.  It let me read it and I'm not currently a subscriber.

I'm actually sort of surprised Michael Schuster wrote in favor of the streetcar, because he certainly wouldn't define himself as "progressive".  Also, he's close to Phil Castellini I believe, so this might be a sign that the 4th street crowd is starting to pay attention and realize that killing the streetcar is an idiotic move.

 

What's crazy to me is that Flynn is close to the Chavez family, who owned Broadway Commons and and a ton of other downtown parking lots.  I can't believe they wouldn't think that the streetcar would raise the value of their unimproved real estate.

So all $95~ million in federal funds will be robbed from this project by the corrupt activities of appointed or elected bodies.  Here is what the disappearance of $50 million looked like in 2011:

 

*Notice that 2 of 9 TRAC members DIDN'T EVEN SHOW UP for THE MOST IMPORTANT MEETING OF THE YEAR.  But wait, there's more: Eugene Marchbanks, the black fellow to the right of Jerry Wray, joined TRAC THAT WEEK.  Nobody other than Wray even knew who he was!  It was his first meeting, but he showed up with PROPS, specifically, a stack of reports and papers from a Columbus light rail study, and he smugly declared that Cincinnati's streetcar project would end up as a similar stack of forgotten reports. 

 

 

Add to that the $400 million sent back in connection with the 3C passenger rail project we end up with a total of $495 million. Public transportation has a 5:1 economic activity/cost ratio, making that about $2.5 billion in economic activity lost statewide. Each billion adds about 20,000 jobs, so we have also lost about 50,000 jobs. If these numbers sound inflated, keep in mind that Forest City Enterprises was set to spend $180 million in tiny Riverside (Air Force Museum) and create 6,000 jobs in just this one project. As if Ohio can afford to throw that away. There are some real dimbulb officials out there.

 

 

A the state level they are not dimbulbs, they are corrupt with power. The TRAC grant reversal was corrupt men flowing money where they wanted it to go to serve themselves. The Streetcar pause is more dimbulb. That is truly the result of people who will not benefit from cancelling it, they are just filled with fear and anger over it.

Mike is a long-time streetcar supporter. One of the first people I took out to Portland.

>who owned Broadway Commons and and a ton of other downtown parking lots.  I can't believe they wouldn't think that the streetcar would

 

Look back to the first Banks renderings, from 1999.  Lindner, etc., want 3rd St. to be the city's premier office address.  Queen City Square has since been built on 3rd.  The streetcar raises the value of downtown north of 6th St.  Creates competition for possible 3rd St. office tower tenants. 

 

 

 

 

So all $95~ million in federal funds will be robbed from this project by the corrupt activities of appointed or elected bodies.  Here is what the disappearance of $50 million looked like in 2011:

 

*Notice that 2 of 9 TRAC members DIDN'T EVEN SHOW UP for THE MOST IMPORTANT MEETING OF THE YEAR.  But wait, there's more: Eugene Marchbanks, the black fellow to the right of Jerry Wray, joined TRAC THAT WEEK.  Nobody other than Wray even knew who he was!  It was his first meeting, but he showed up with PROPS, specifically, a stack of reports and papers from a Columbus light rail study, and he smugly declared that Cincinnati's streetcar project would end up as a similar stack of forgotten reports. 

 

 

Add to that the $400 million sent back in connection with the 3C passenger rail project we end up with a total of $495 million. Public transportation has a 5:1 economic activity/cost ratio, making that about $2.5 billion in economic activity lost statewide. Each billion adds about 20,000 jobs, so we have also lost about 50,000 jobs. If these numbers sound inflated, keep in mind that Forest City Enterprises was set to spend $180 million in tiny Riverside (Air Force Museum) and create 6,000 jobs in just this one project. As if Ohio can afford to throw that away. There are some real dimbulb officials out there.

 

 

A the state level they are not dimbulbs, they are corrupt with power. The TRAC grant reversal was corrupt men flowing money where they wanted it to go to serve themselves. The Streetcar pause is more dimbulb. That is truly the result of people who will not benefit from cancelling it, they are just filled with fear and anger over it.

 

The end result is the same: A state and city stuck and unable or not willing to do anything which would make a difference.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20131209/NEWS01/312090053

 

Kevin Flynn “I don’t think the numbers are going to come back supportive” of continuing streetcar construction..

 

 

 

I'm surprised Flynn, an attorney, would make such an unguarded and presumptuous statement.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20131209/NEWS01/312090053

 

Kevin Flynn “I don’t think the numbers are going to come back supportive” of continuing streetcar construction..

 

 

 

I'm surprised Flynn, an attorney, would make such an unguarded and presumptuous statement.

 

Lends more evidence to believe that A) last week was a total sham and B) this independent study is rigged from the get go

At this point, Kevin Flynn is probably the least impressive, least thoughtful member of this new council, after Chris Smitherman. Yes, even Amy Murray seems more promising.

here comes more national attention...this from the National Association of Railroad Passengers:

 

http://narprail.org/news/narp-blog/2462-cincy-streetcar

So what's the deal with that letter to John Curp? Anyone know anything?

 

On the surface, it seems a clear violation of state law not to be moving forward with construction.

So what's the deal with that letter to John Curp? Anyone know anything?

 

On the surface, it seems a clear violation of state law not to be moving forward with construction.

Also he's  not looking into the Chris smitherman ethics investigation. 

 

 

So what's the deal with that letter to John Curp? Anyone know anything?

On the surface, it seems a clear violation of state law not to be moving forward with construction.

If everybody agrees to "pause" then it may not constitute a violation?

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20131209/NEWS01/312090053

 

Kevin Flynn “I don’t think the numbers are going to come back supportive” of continuing streetcar construction..

 

 

 

I'm surprised Flynn, an attorney, would make such an unguarded and presumptuous statement.

 

Lends more evidence to believe that A) last week was a total sham and B) this independent study is rigged from the get go

 

Maybe more importantly than the obvious prejudice his comment reveals, what exactly is the basis for his confidence that KPMG's audit won't support continuation of the project?  He's not an accountant.  And the audit isn't close to being completed.  Inquiring minds want to know.

Also he's  not looking into the Chris smitherman ethics investigation. 

 

Truth. I wonder if he is playing ball w/ Cranley to preserve his own job, after seeing Dohoney get chopped. Does Cranley have the power to fire Curp? Does council?

 

If everybody agrees to "pause" then it may not constitute a violation?

 

Feds warned the city is in breach, but maybe that doesn't count?

 

Look at all these urban hipsters blue-hairs...

http://www.urbancincy.com/2013/12/the-plot-continues-to-thicken-for-cincinnatis-133m-streetcar-project/

I believe Curp's employment is the discretion of the city manager/HR. Council and Mayor only have direct hiring/firing capacity for City Manager and their own staff.

KPMG still hasn't been hired. According to Politics Extra Blog:

 

According to a memo Tuesday from Acting City Manager Scott Stiles to City Council members, KPMG is being directed to determine:

 

- Total cost to terminate the streetcar project.

 

- Total cost to complete the current phase of the project.

 

- Streetcar operating and maintenance costs for 30 years.

 

- An evaluation of the assumptions made by city staff in its calculations regarding the costs to stop or complete the project and the operating costs.

 

No mention of return on investment of finishing vs ROI of canceling.

KPMG still hasn't been hired. According to Politics Extra Blog:

 

According to a memo Tuesday from Acting City Manager Scott Stiles to City Council members, KPMG is being directed to determine:

 

- Total cost to terminate the streetcar project.

 

- Total cost to complete the current phase of the project.

 

- Streetcar operating and maintenance costs for 30 years.

 

- An evaluation of the assumptions made by city staff in its calculations regarding the costs to stop or complete the project and the operating costs.

 

No mention of return on investment of finishing vs ROI of canceling.

 

Unbelievable.  So Cranley waits to start for a week knowing they are in a time crunch and they don't include roi  or litigation costs

"According to a memo Tuesday from Acting City Manager Scott Stiles to City Council members, KPMG is being directed to determine:

 

- Total cost to terminate the streetcar project.

 

- Total cost to complete the current phase of the project.

 

- Streetcar operating and maintenance costs for 30 years."

 

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2013/12/10/no-deal-yet-to-start-streetcar-analysis/

The game is rigged guys. It's all about collecting signatures and praying the feds don't pull the money

If I was the feds I would pull the money now because they are playing around.

Feds have ego's too.  We'll see

 

Cranley is going to tout this stunt as 'a win for taxpayers' when he runs for congress. 

Unbelievable.  So Cranley waits to start for a week knowing they are in a time crunch and they don't include roi  or litigation costs

 

I can't think of any reason why he couldn't have engaged KPMG prior to being sworn in, knowing that time is of the essence (except of course, that he wants the federal dollars pulled).  Seems like he could have said, "hey, I'll be calling you guys on December 2nd, so be ready."  I mean, I don't like the guy, but can he really be this incompetent?:

 

1) Selects "streetcar committee" unofficially without designating roles.

2) Forces council to meet without rules.

3) Tries to pass 11 ordinances without giving them to his hand-picked "streetcar committee".

4) Is forced to postpone the meeting due to the chaotic nature of the day's events.

5) Publicly taps Willie Carden for City Manager without doing a nationwide search, only to have his candidate turn down the job.

6) Selects KPMG, but almost week later, nothing has actually started?

 

That's got to be the worst first week on record.

Feds have ego's too.  We'll see

 

Cranley is going to tout this stunt as 'a win for taxpayers' when he runs for congress. 

 

That's part of why I support a recall next year.  If it tarnishes his ability to seek higher office, we're doing the rest of Ohio and the US a favor.

Mayor’s office: Work has started on streetcar analysis

 

Two KPMG employees started work on the streetcar cost analysis Tuesday at City Hall, Mayor John Cranley‘s chief of staff just clarified, and several more are on planes headed to Cincinnati.

 

“Terms have been reached — it’s just signing the paper work” that hasn’t officially taken place, Jay Kincaid said.

 

Olberding, quoted below, said the company is bringing in construction experts from other offices for the work.

I used to be in consulting, though not accountancy.  We'd occasionally get crunch-time assignments that the junior staff could start working on before the final terms were hammered out on the contract.  I can't imagine the city could name KPMG as the contractor last week without some basic framework in place.  All it takes is the city calling KPMG's office here in town and say "Can you help?  Here's some email addresses of people you can get documents from."  The delay is probably in getting the lawyers to work up the contracts - that takes more time than simply handing over the relevant information and getting a few junior accountants into a conference room to start running numbers.

KPMG should not have been asked specific questions to answer.  They should have been charged with giving a go/no-go recommendation based on the full context of the situation.

Big crowd at petition meeting tonight, which is still underway.

1100 volunteers and counting for the streetcar petition tonight via Cincinnati Streetcar on Facebook.  Unbelievable

Someone needs to inform the KPMG team ,that to be fair,they should also estimate the ROI for the next 30 years!

1100 volunteers and counting for the streetcar petition tonight via Cincinnati Streetcar on Facebook.  Unbelievable

 

We got this.

^ Since council only has until December 19 to decide on the streetcar before the federal funds are pulled, what purpose would a charter amendment serve? By the time citizens can vote on this amendment either council will have voted to keep the project going, at which point no charter amendment will be necessary, or they vote to cancel it, and the federal funds will be gone. So what good will voting on the project do with no federal funds? Is there something I'm missing?

Read the language of the petition.

Read the language of the petition.

 

Where is it?

 

Never mind. Found it at:

 

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/889197-proposed-referendum-for-cincinnati-streetcar.html

 

 

^ Right now at 1208 Race Street and on my kitchen table. And about 350 others, I'd say.

Read the language of the petition.

 

Where is it?

 

http://www.scribd.com/doc/190595777/Article-XVII-Streetcar-Charter-Amendment

 

 

I did read it John, and it doesn't address my question.  It takes 60 to 120 days for a petition like this to be put on a ballot, yet Section 1 specifically talks about avoiding "the need to return to the federal government tens of millions of dollars already allocated to the project." Section 2 only talks about operating expenses, and the rest are just about council not getting in the way, making sure all laws are followed, etc.  So again, even if 200,000 signatures are collected, this won't go to a vote of the people until at least February, but the federal funds deadline is barely a week away. 

Yes it is. And everyone must file their taxes by April 15th. That's the deadline.

I think jjakucyk means once we get all the signatures and place it on the ballot. It will be too late since the feds would have pulled the 45 million federal grant Dec 19th 2013. If it is on the ballot and it passes the city will need to fund the additional 45 million without  the help from the feds.

 

Potentially the city will be in a HUGE bind with covering an additional 45 million offset if Cranley vetos Dec 18th.

 

Nice comment at the 'Warp'

Good thing Cranley and the other 5 council people didnt discover America they would have went back to europe saying America was to expensive to build!

I think jjakucyk means once we get all the signatures and place it on the ballot. It will be too late since the feds would have pulled the 45 million federal grant Dec 19th 2013. If it is on the ballot and it passes the city will need to fund the additional 45 million without  the help from the feds.

 

Potentially the city will be in a HUGE bind with covering an additional 45 million offset if Cranley vetos Dec 18th.

 

 

John can correct me if I'm wrong, but what I think he is getting at that the 19th may not necessarily be the true deadline - or the feds may return the money later - just as in taxes you can get an extension.  I don't see how this is possible but that's at least how I'm interpreting John's comments.

 

Also, to the above comment, I think it would be a very bad idea to have a public accounting firm to provide a go/no-go.  They aren't in that business.  They can tell you how much has been spent and how much it could cost to cancel and that's about it.  I don't think they should even factor in operational costs as that is a whole separate story.  If they were to cover operational costs they would need to cover revenue generated from operational, both direct in rider fees, advertisements, etc and indirect revenue from taxes generated from economic development.  How in the world do they plan to get this completed in 9 days?  No way.

People forget that originally the city was going to build Phase 1a of the streetcar entirely with its own money.  The advantage of the federal grant isn't so much the free capital money, it's the required minimum service level.  So if the city built the streetcar entirely with its own capital money, it could shut down operations or never initiate them.  With the federal grant, it must keep operating the system or it must repay the federal grant. 

 

The problem I'm seeing with the charter amendment is that we could be required by our own charter to finish building the project, but there would be no requirement to operate it.  Theoretically the streetcars could sit in the car barn until Cranley goes away. 

These signatures are going to be collected in a snap. This process can be repeated for any cause this group is enthusiastic about. Anything at all. That is empowering.

 

How much money has been spent on this particular signature drive?

The issue of what the Federal Government will do with its money if City Hall cancels the streetcar on the deadline day, December 19, 2013 is the million dollar question sharing the room with the Charter Amendment.

 

The Federal Government has so far made it abundantly clear that it will immediately take back its money if City Hall votes to cancel on December 18. Has the Charter Amendment initiative changed this?

 

Removing the Federal share of the funding leaves the streetcar project dead in the water, even if the voters approve the Charter Amendment later next year mandating the city to complete its construction. The city surely won't pony up those lost federal dollars.

 

Another concern is that, even if the Feds keep their money in Cincinnati until after the Amendment has been put to a vote next spring, by the time said vote has been held all the contractors involved will have been standing idle for months, and their employees out of work if not reassigned to jobs elsewhere. I don't see how the contractors can afford to sit around idle. THEY will call it quits and declare the whole affair null and void!

 

The only workable answer is if the Charter Amendment team succeeds in collecting the required number of legally certified voter signatures, the city is then required to immediately restart the streetcar project pending the outcome of the vote next spring, thus fulfilling the Fed's requirements that the project remain on track and the money's kept in place. Is there any such requirement? Yes or no.

 

Otherwise, why collect thousands of signatures for a project that can't be paid for and/or the contractors give up on because they can't stand around idle for months? The city surely isn't going to pony up those lost federal dollars.

 

People signing the Charter petitions need to know the answer, as do those volunteers who'll be putting in long hours in the cold and darkness over the next ten days collecting signatures.

450 people picked up petitions tonight, and the phone is still ringing with people wanting to know where to get them.

 

Don't want to talk specifics about money except to say that it is pouring in.

 

This level of organization is costly, and you can contribute here.

 

https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=TO4E_wutGuazFuKIRSsRdkSTEkxhOlJ80iXZSKP5vxvqEo7hX9lPQ1W2-u0&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8def8934b92a630e40b7fef61ab7e9fe63

 

The dam has started to crack.

Jos Callinet, you might find this interesting:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzgKRpRVtdE0WTNKVzg2QjhSXzg/edit?fb_source=message&pli=1

 

It's pretty obvious the people who know the answers to all your questions do not want to put all their cards on the table. But the signatures will be collected, and we'll see where it goes. Enjoy the ride, and try to keep your morale -- many others are keeping theirs.

Thank you, natininja, John Schneider et al - I'll keep the faith and contribute dollars.

To be honest, I'm glad John Isn't letting us in on everything behind the scenes…

 

If we don't know, there's a good chance COAST/Smitherman/Cranley don't know as well.

 

That's a good thing.  We'll all find out in due time.  Until then, sign a petition, help get the word out, donate and volunteer!

Speaking of COAST, as with the Hyatt Town Hall meeting, Mr. Miller was in attendance tonight.