Must Not Have Got It Right The First Time

Forget all the doom and gloom they keep shoveling at you: Oregon's economy is doing great; the state's positively flush with cash.  Gresham’s urban renewal agency has won a $3 million grant to rebuild a Rockwood MAX station.  Where'd they get this cash?  Why from the state, of course. 

Here's how it works:  teams of highly-compensated "planners" design a light-rail line.  Contractors are hired to build it exactly according to plan.  The plan doesn't pan out.  Get money from the state for a do-over.  See if that plan pans.

The grant will pay for more than half of the $4.95 million project – including new eastbound and westbound platforms, improved lighting, new security cameras, new ticket vending machines, other security measures, public art and track treatments such as cobblestones or bricks to make it look more urban. Tracks now running through Gresham are surrounded by gravel and look more like freight rails, said Rebecca Ocken, urban renewal manager.

A few issues, here:  why are urban renewal funds paying for new ticket machines for TriMet?  In fact, why are such funds being used to pay for any of this?  It's TriMet's light rail line; let them pay for maintenance and upgrades.  Chances are, if they collected a fare from one in ever 15 "passengers", they'd be able to cough up the change on their own.

And why should urban renewal funding be used to pay for "track treatments" and other aesthetic junk?  It's a train track.  Is there some compelling reason why it shouldn't look like a train track?

And just how much are you paying Rebecca to be an "urban renewal manager"?

Comments

[eddie]

Oh, don't blame non-paying riders for the lack of funds. I suspect more pay the fare than you think... the problem is that the fare doesn't even begin to cover the full cost of moving that passenger.

Last time I painfully waded through one of their budgets they were bragging about recovering almost 20% of operating costs across the board (they refuse to break out figures for buses and trains separately). If it's anything like the Red Line costs in Los Angeles, they once calculated that it cost $70 a ride and charged $1.50. I figure MAX is fairly similar.

[Max]

Oh, I'm aware of the subsidy issue - I'm wondering why urban renewal funds should pay for cosmetic treatments at a light rail station.