Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Government Grants and Sustainability

Comment Up
CSX tracks
It took six years for ROLOH to get a Quiet Zone for
the benefit of its neighborhood's quality of life

Per Tuesday night's agenda backup, the Palm Beach County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) finds that the preliminary quiet zone cost estimate for the work in the County is around $17.9M. The County MPO has dedicated $6.6M in funding; however, there is an $11.3M deficit that must be borne by local municipalities or another agenda.

The MPO is hoping that the other agency can be the US Department of Transportation via its Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program. The Palm Beach County and Broward County MPO’s are preparing a joint application for TIGER funding to supplement local funds designated by the MPO’s for quiet zone implementation. The application window is very short and requires accelerated work. (Final applications through Grants.gov by April 28, 2014, at 5:00 p.m. EDT (the “Application Deadline”) The MPO has asked affected municipalities to approve a resolution of support for the TIGER funding and sending a letter to the US Department of Transportation supporting the installation of additional safety equipment for quiet zones.

As with previous rounds of TIGER, funds for the FY 2014 TIGER program (“TIGER FY 2014”) are to be awarded on a competitive basis for projects that will have a significant impact on the Nation, a metropolitan area, or a region. Lake Worth has All Aboard Florida on its mind.

All Aboard Florida on the FEC track is supported by planners and cities that subscribe to sustainable development and walkable life styles...Agenda 21. It is all about land grabs. Expected to begin offering service by early 2015, All Aboard Florida would be the first passenger service on the FEC tracks since 1968. William Waters, director of community sustainability for Lake Worth, said the "added mobility could encourage people to move into walkable cities such as Lake Worth...You could live in Lake Worth and work in Fort Lauderdale. You could hop on a train and be at work quickly.”


2 comments:

Weetha Peebull said...

May 6th Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council presentation to Lake Worth on All Aboard Florida that wasn't going to use taxpayer Money but PRIVATE $$$ that has turned into 1.5 BILLION DOLLARS in TAXPAYER Loans!

"...negative impacts upon property values, disruption to businesses, interruption to traffic, safety issues, interference with Intracoastal Waterway commerce and trade, financial debt burden to the taxpayer, threat to wildlife habitats, environmental damage, high density population development, noise and vibration pollution, devastation to the marine industry, road re-routing, traffic congestion, delay in emergency and medical services, blocked access to hospitals and the bisecting of our peaceful small towns at 110 m.p.h. (Vero Speeds - Local tracks can't go faster the 60 mph?) 32 times per day PLUS freight traffic."

"Billions of dollars will be spent by the taxpayer for a shell game operated by Seacastle, a subsidiary of Fortress LLC that owns shipping containers and mega cargo ships. With the widening of the Panama Canal, Miami will be the port from which massive amounts of freight will be offloaded onto freight cars and sent north on multiple tracks that will slice our towns in two.

All Aboard Florida is a bit player in this intermodal conglomerate that must have modern tracks ready by 2015. AAF is a front for government-loaned debt in order to upgrade and lay new tracks for the coming, massive freight industry. AAF has already applied for a $1.5 billion loan.
Fortress Hedge Fund puts profits above safety, the quality of life in our towns and the debt burden they will force us to assume."

"I maintain that when politicians, state officials, and their leading supporters say something to you, they have exactly the same objective - to get something out of you (including out of your wallet and bank account) - and you would be well advised to assume that what they say to you IS a LIE." - Robert Higgs

Weetha Peebull said...

FloridaNotAllAboard.com

"Seven50 is the scheme by which to plan your life for 50 years by people who aren’t prepared for today. All Aboard Florida is their toy train they bought with your money."

"People are incensed nobody has a plan for the coming reality that increased train traffic was not accounted for by planners."

"DOT, Florida DOT, regional planning councils and local governments are all caught unprepared, the very thing they claim to do is prepare and they do so by planning. Not one of them has a plan for how to deal with their failures in planning roads and traffic for an increase in crossing closings."

Quiet Zones 100K each.
Can we afford this at every RR Crossing in LW - who will choose which roads to close off?

Sure the muni's can apply for Fed TIGER Loan but there's a State Limit and there's NOT ENOUGH $ so many RR crossings will be closed.

"Seven50 is a plan to coerce communities to develop in a ladder pattern up the state and restrict choices in developing to new urbanist desires. All Aboard Florida will be one of the people movers up and down that ladder." (Who on the dais repeats the 'ladder' talking points? I'm talking about Tyranny and this guy is talking about Trollies!)

If you think a road w/out potholes and a sidewalk will increase the value of your property - watch what your elected reps can now do w/eminent domain, RR Crossings and the power of the purse. They have publicly admitted we are so poor - they will 'service' Grant and BEG for money for something that probably won't happen - have they spoken to AAF Turn arounds (WHO listened AND Heard We the People) and are now against All Aboard Florida? Lois Frankel and Patrick Murphy want to get elected!

"Disgusting. Throwing a party for themselves for subsidizing All Aboard Florida and changing their tune when the public reacts has been the leadership type of politician you can expect from Patrick Murphy and Lois Frankel."