June 14, 201114 yr I hear things, but the city is ultra-cautious about over-promising on the streetcar. We past a couple of milestones recently, and to me, it looks like we'll soon, in Cincinnati time, start building the streetcar.
June 14, 201114 yr John having confidence it will get built is very reassuring. It's gone through as much scrutiny and obstacles(1 big one left in November) as any project I've ever seen.
June 15, 201114 yr All this talk about utilities is missing the point: the key obstacle to this thing getting built isn't utilities, it's rhetoric. The media in this town is so bad that the public doesn't even remember that that there was a ballot challenge to the streetcar in 2009 and that it was soundly defeated.
June 15, 201113 yr Some news on the streetcar soon ... My guess is that we finally received the green light from the FTA to move on to the next step (whatever that might be) with the streetcar. There was some sort of environmental impact study being done on the streetcar project the last I heard and it was due to be completed in June. Its June, so I'm betting its done now. My question is...What's Next?
June 15, 201113 yr A recent Tweet from the Enquirer's Jane Prendergast who's at City Hall following Property Tax discussions: "Winburn again asking about streetcar, if city has hidden $ for it. Dohoney: "We don't do hidden."" "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
June 15, 201113 yr Some news on the streetcar soon ... My guess is that we finally received the green light from the FTA to move on to the next step (whatever that might be) with the streetcar. There was some sort of environmental impact study being done on the streetcar project the last I heard and it was due to be completed in June. Its June, so I'm betting its done now. My question is...What's Next? Streetcar has cleared environmental review.
June 15, 201113 yr Author Some news on the streetcar soon ... My guess is that we finally received the green light from the FTA to move on to the next step (whatever that might be) with the streetcar. There was some sort of environmental impact study being done on the streetcar project the last I heard and it was due to be completed in June. Its June, so I'm betting its done now. My question is...What's Next? Streetcar has cleared environmental review. I give that comment two thumbs up.
June 16, 201113 yr COAST's latest ballot initiative would kill all rail here An attorney recently wrote that "the drafters of the initiative were clever in making 'Streetcar' a defined term" in the petitions they are now circulating for signatures. They are attempting to leverage opposition to the streetcar to stop any kind of commuter or light rail here for ten years. In its proposed Charter Amendment, COAST has defined "Streetcar" to include any kind of passenger rail operating on streets or publicly-owned rights-of-way such as old rail lines. As a result, passage of the Amendment would not just stop the streetcar, it would also block any regional rail system from using city-owned tracks and streets within the city limits. Cincinnati -- alone in the nation -- would be barred from spending a penny planning or building rail. Even if a private investor wanted to build rail in Cincinnati, that would be blocked too. For ten years. Take a minute to read the ballot language in the link below. http://cincinnatiansforprogress.com/Ballot.asp Please forward this email to your network and make sure people understand what it means before they sign up to place this city-killing petition on the November ballot. And if you want to know what's happening with the streetcar ... Join CincyPAC for a happy hour, today, Thursday at Lunar at 5th and Elm. A member of the team that's building the streetcar, Jennifer Wirtz, will bring you up-to-date and answer your questions. http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=o7k7xccab&v=001cQcN0FSUz14MyXsNxbobldWFztuKz3bEO9WUvg5QoSd_IXqGSLVHj9UVTGYeofav1-cghadc2ahHlJQ8Ml-MhdlRzAqtIWeKt9oB0Q1puXBJRyu8cZcN2A%3D%3D
June 16, 201113 yr I, for one, am shocked that Chris Smitherman, Chris Finney, and those at COAST would intentionally try to deceive voters into signing a ballot initiative against their own best interest. These are people of high character and morals who I, until now, would have never thought could stoop to such low levels
June 16, 201113 yr I'm sorry...what makes this ballot initiative any different that Issue 9? How is this redundant issue NOT a waste of tax-dollars?
June 16, 201113 yr Author I'm sorry...what makes this ballot initiative any different that Issue 9? How is this redundant issue NOT a waste of tax-dollars? In addition to being aimed at stopping the streetcar, Issue 9 asked the basic question "should we vote on rail projects?" The voters resoundingly said 'NO.' Now the same people who drafted Issue 9 have decided to ignore the will of Cincinnati voters and force a vote rail projects.
June 16, 201113 yr ^ This one's worse in several ways. First, it's an outright prohibition against building rail in Cincinnati. The last one, in 2009, said, "We want a vote on it." This one doesn't even provide for a vote. It also puts city-owned streets and trackways off-limits to rail, so even if the Feds, the state or a private investor were to pay all the capital and all the operating costs of the rail project, you still couldn't build rail in Cincinnati. And since no regional rail system could ever be tied together without entering the city limits of Cincinnati, it blocks all regional rail too. Which, of course, is what COAST has always wanted. The effort to build rail here started in earnest in 1996. So it has taken us fifteen years to get to cusp of starting construction on our first rail project. If you were to freeze all that planning in amber for ten years as required by this Charter Amendment, we'll basically be starting all over again in 2021. And it could take another fifteen years until 2036, say, to get back to where we are today. So it effectively keeps rail out of Cincinnati and Southwest Ohio for a generation.
June 16, 201113 yr ^If passed, can a resolution such as this be challenged or repealed by a later vote? If so, rail supporters should prepare for the worst by having a petition ready to start circling the day after the votes are in.
June 17, 201113 yr Charlie Winburn said tonight that the city should use the streetcar money for "Other projects". Its absurd
June 17, 201113 yr Charlie Winburn is dumb as a sack of rocks. I'm amazed people take that guy seriously.
June 17, 201113 yr ^ He's often the most well funded candidate. If you don't like him, take the opportunity today to donate to a streetcar supporter, or a PAC that supports the streetcar.
June 17, 201113 yr I don't have much money to donate (I have, however, donated to Cincinnatians for Progress), but I'm doing whatever I can to support pro-streetcar candidates for council. Even if Winbag wins reelection, we can still make sure he remains in the minority. By the way, a friend of mine has confirmed that P.G. Sittenfield is not a streetcar supporter. It was like pulling teeth, since Sittenfield's website and public utterances seem to have been carefully crafted to avoid indicating a decisive stance on any issue whatsoever.
June 17, 201113 yr Would love to know what kind of car Sittenfield's parents bought him when he turned 16.
June 17, 201113 yr ^If passed, can a resolution such as this be challenged or repealed by a later vote? If so, rail supporters should prepare for the worst by having a petition ready to start circling the day after the votes are in. Sure, anybody can start a petition and get it on the ballot with enough support. If its approved by voters a repeal of their amendment would be possible, but I don't know the specific rules regarding that. I'm sure its not easy though. It would be way better to defeat them (again) and make sure this amendment never becomes law:) I propose that we start circulating a petition that would ban COAST from placing anymore ballot initiatives on our ballots for the next 10 years. I really think it could be done. Wouldn't you just love to see their reaction if we managed to ban them from doing all these stupid ballot initiatives?
June 18, 201113 yr More people on FB are saying that PG is against the streetcar. Richest candidate, and he doesn't support the streetcar- that's too bad.
June 18, 201113 yr The sooner streetcar supporters know which candidates actually support the streetcar and progress (as opposed to giving it lip service), the sooner donations and support can start flowing in the right direction. Let's not be misled. From VotePG's FB page: "Those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." - John F. Kennedy
June 18, 201113 yr ^ Lets's start now: SUPPORTERS: Bortz Qualls Quinlivan Thomas Young Riveiro Simpson Hollan Seelbach OPPONENTS: Winburn Lippert Ghiz Murray I plan to circulate a perfected list widely before November.
June 18, 201113 yr ^ Lets's start now: SUPPORTERS: Bortz Qualls Quinlivan Thomas Young Riveiro Simpson Hollan Seelbach OPPONENTS: Winburn Lippert Ghiz Murray I plan to circulate a perfected list widely before November. Great. Now, which camp does Sittenfeld (and others?) want to join? Lippert told Dan Hurley that he might have supported the streetcar "10 years ago" or "when the budget was better"...something to that effect. :roll:
June 18, 201113 yr Let's not be misled. From VotePG's FB page: "Those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." - John F. Kennedy Nice pretty quotes on politicians pages mean nothing- THEIR quotes are all that matter. PG has yet to say the sentence, "I support the Cincinnati Streetcar" no matter who asks him.
June 18, 201113 yr Let's not be misled. From VotePG's FB page: "Those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." - John F. Kennedy Nice pretty quotes on politicians pages mean nothing- THEIR quotes are all that matter. PG has yet to say the sentence, "I support the Cincinnati Streetcar" no matter who asks him. Exactly. That's why the first half of my post that you quoted was: The sooner streetcar supporters know which candidates actually support the streetcar and progress (as opposed to giving it lip service) If Sittenfeld doesn't support the streetcar, I won't support him.
June 18, 201113 yr Let's not be misled. From VotePG's FB page: "Those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." - John F. Kennedy Nice pretty quotes on politicians pages mean nothing- THEIR quotes are all that matter. PG has yet to say the sentence, "I support the Cincinnati Streetcar" no matter who asks him. Exactly. That's why the first half of my post that you quoted was: The sooner streetcar supporters know which candidates actually support the streetcar and progress (as opposed to giving it lip service) If Sittenfeld doesn't support the streetcar, I won't support him. He doesn't support the streetcar. He says things like "Oh its a great idea just not right now". From what I've heard, almost all his statements regarding the streetcar, when pressured because otherwise he doesn't want to comment, have been negative talking points echoed by all the anti-streetcar people.
June 19, 201113 yr PG is by far the front runner right now for any non-incumbant. He has dozens of college age volunteers at every event- has by FAR the most money ever in the cities history for a first time candidate (will probably be posting above $200,000 at the end of the month- for reference, Qualls had 80,000 at election last year, Bortz had $170,000 at election, 100,000 at the end of June) and is AGAINSt the streetcar and is now getting support from COAST on their twitter page!!! Sadly, pro-streetcar people need to be ANTI-PG. We can't add anymore anti-streetcar votes to council. It's not to late for the streetcar to be stopped- we need a pro-streetcar majority on council. Yvette, Seelbach, Riveiro & Hollan are all good, pro-streetcar candidates, but sadly, none of them can compete with PG on both ground game and money. Seelbach will probably have the most of the four, but it's almost certain that it will be far less than half of what PG posts.
June 19, 201113 yr Exactly. That's why the first half of my post that you quoted was: The sooner streetcar supporters know which candidates actually support the streetcar and progress (as opposed to giving it lip service) If Sittenfeld doesn't support the streetcar, I won't support him. I misread your intention- apologies.
June 20, 201113 yr And just to show you the power of getting behind mass transit, Salt Lake City has a fantastic development thread which has pages of pages of new development along their new streetcar/LRT system: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=93987&page=127 "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 21, 201113 yr SLC's the kind of place that can't be accused of being a hippie/commie/latte-sipping loafabout city, much like Charlotte, Austin and Pittsburgh.
June 21, 201113 yr Not new news for us, but I'm sure Horstman will have a hit piece up shortly http://www.wlwt.com/politics/28305744/detail.html "Streetcar project clears key federal hurdle" Naturally no one is talking about how damaging the ballot initiative is coming in November. We have to do a better job at getting the word out
June 21, 201113 yr ^ Lets's start now: SUPPORTERS: Bortz Qualls Quinlivan Thomas Young Riveiro Simpson Hollan Seelbach OPPONENTS: Winburn Lippert Ghiz Murray I plan to circulate a perfected list widely before November. Catherine Smith Mills is also against the streetcar. Cincinnati Blog has an article about PG. http://cincinnati.blogspot.com/2011/06/where-does-p-g-sittenfeld-stand-on.html LivingInGin- I heard rumors he responded (possibly to you) on FB saying I don't support it right now, and then deleted the tweet- Is this true?
June 21, 201113 yr So PG Sittenfeld: Rich, White, Anti-Streetcar, TONS of fundraising money from other rich, white people......and he's a Democrat? Why would the party endorse him?
June 21, 201113 yr His facebook page, and website are basically fluff, with very little real information on actual issues. I don't know where his wild support is coming from. He must have a great personality and charisma. I would like to hear him actually talk about the streetcar or other issues before I make up my mind. At least a couple people have asked him about the streetcar on his facebook page, without response. He sure is quick to respond to people praising him though.
June 21, 201113 yr http://cincinnati-oh.gov/noncms/projects/streetcar/docs/streetcar_FONSI.cfm http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2011/06/21/cincinnati-streetcar-plan-passes-fta.html
June 21, 201113 yr It's a press release. You can legally post the whole thing here..... Dear Friends: I am pleased to announce that the Cincinnati Streetcar project has passed the next set of “greenlights” as the project moves forward. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) found the Cincinnati streetcar will have no significant environmental impact along the route. In addition, the City and the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA), which operates Metro buses, also reached an agreement for the local transit agency to receive all federal monies for the project. The “finding of no significant impact” (FONSI) from the FTA means the streetcar will not have a negative impact on the people or buildings along the route. The FONSI clears the way for the streetcar project to use the $29 million of federal money already allocated. It also allows the project team to begin the next steps in bidding out work for the general contractors and the cars themselves. Additional information is included in the attached press release. You can also find more information at www.cincinnatistreetcar.com. Follow us on Twitter, @cincystreetcar; and Facebook.com/cincystreetcar; Youtube/cincinnatistreetcar. As always, thank you for your continued support. Milton Milton Dohoney, Jr. City Manager ___________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 21, 2011 Meg Olberding City Manager’s Office p 513.352.5358 c 513.368.1083 [email protected] Streetcar Project Passes Next "Greenlights" Cincinnati – Today, City Manager Milton Dohoney, Jr. announced that the Cincinnati Streetcar project has passed the next set of "greenlights" as the project moves forward. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) found the Cincinnati streetcar will have no significant environmental impact along the route. In addition, the City and the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA), which operates Metro buses, also reached an agreement for the local transit agency to receive all federal monies for the project. The "finding of no significant impact" (FONSI) from the FTA means the streetcar will not have a negative impact on the people or buildings along the route. The FONSI clears the way for the streetcar project to use the $29 million of federal money already allocated. It also allows the project team to begin the next steps in bidding out work for the general contractors and the cars themselves. "The federal government has examined the project and given it a full green light," said City Manager Milton Dohoney, Jr. "We continue on the path to build the streetcar to help grow the local economy, bring jobs, and revitalize key areas for the city." SORTA has agreed to serve as the designated recipient for all federal funds for the streetcar and to oversee the use of federal dollars in compliance with FTA requirements. The City’s goal is for Metro to serve as the operator for the streetcar system, allowing Metro to seamlessly integrate its bus system with the streetcar lines as they are developed. The first segment of the streetcar system will have five cars running along a three-mile route from Fountain Square to Findlay Market. The City has already identified more than $4 million in annual funding sources to cover the anticipated $2.5 million operating and maintenance costs for the system. The City has committed to the streetcar line running from The Banks to Uptown, the area around the University of Cincinnati, hospitals and zoo. The City is exploring the possibility of using a battery-powered hybrid streetcar that could lower the total cost of the project. ### To sign up for news and construction updates, visit www.cincinnatistreetcar.com. Follow us "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 21, 201113 yr Nice to see the press release regarding the FONSI. Now, onto some real earth moving!!
June 21, 201113 yr http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/0607streetcarcomparison.aspx Streetcar Facts, Figures and Fights Mirror Other Cities Matt Cunningham | Tuesday, June 07, 2011 - Soapbox Media Streetcar. Few words can spark a debate in Cincinnati better than a mention of the proposed Cincinnati Streetcar. Whether the issue is funding, the proposed route or the projected benefits - or argued lack thereof - of a streetcar line in the city, this is a contentious issue and an often-hyped political football. But it's not all that unique.
June 21, 201113 yr ^ Updated list: STREETCAR SUPPORTERS: Bortz Qualls Quinlivan Thomas Young Riveiro Simpson Hollan Seelbach STREETCAR OPPONENTS: Winburn Lippert Ghiz Murray Mills Sittenfeld I plan to circulate a perfected list widely a couple of times before November. I'm guessing that being solidly in support of the streetcar is worth a few thousand votes and that being solidy against it is worth many fewer votes. It's top of mind for supporters, not so top of mind for opponents, who have about 27 causes they're circulating petitions for. I mean, how many people would decide not to vote for someone they would otherwise vote for just because of the streetcar? But the reverse is true, a lot of people will vote for candidates who support the streetcar and not vote for others who don't support it because it's their #1 Issue. As Brad likes to point out, no one who has ever cast a vote for the Cincinnati Streetcar has ever lost re-election to office.
June 21, 201113 yr ^ Updated list: STREETCAR SUPPORTERS: Bortz Qualls Quinlivan Thomas Young Riveiro Simpson Hollan Seelbach STREETCAR OPPONENTS: Winburn Lippert Ghiz Murray Mills Sittenfeld I plan to circulate a perfected list widely a couple of times before November. I'm guessing that being solidly in support of the streetcar is worth a few thousand votes and that being solidy against it is worth many fewer votes. It's top of mind for supporters, not so top of mind for opponents, who have about 27 causes they're circulating petitions for. I mean, how many people would decide not to vote for someone they would otherwise vote for just because of the streetcar? But the reverse is true, a lot of people will vote for candidates who support the streetcar and not vote for others who don't support it because it's their #1 Issue. As Brad likes to point out, no one who has ever cast a vote for the Cincinnati Streetcar has ever lost re-election to office. Are you sure Bortz is still 100% behind the streetcar? I've heard him bash the 1st phase on 700wlw before by agreeing with Mark Amazon "Ya, it doesn't make sense"
June 22, 201113 yr I'm thinking Horstman must be on vacation or something? This is what the Enquirer put out today: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110621/NEWS0108/106220343/FTA-Streetcar-won-t-big-environmental-impact?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE If B.H. had written it there would have been a quote from Smitherman, some mention of the city's operation deficit, and likely a reminder about the petition being circulated.
June 22, 201113 yr I'm thinking Horstman must be on vacation or something? This is what the Enquirer put out today: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110621/NEWS0108/106220343/FTA-Streetcar-won-t-big-environmental-impact?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE If B.H. had written it there would have been a quote from Smitherman, some mention of the city's operation deficit, and likely a reminder about the petition being circulated. Their irresponsible reporting is still hard at work. The headline is just one word away from "Streetcar won't have big impact."
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