The oft-cranky Phil Krinkie has struck again. A free shuttle bus was planned to serve downtown cultural and entertainment attractions along with the light-rail stations. It was planned as a key improvement in downtown transportation and complement to LRT. Whether you like it or not, the state has committed to supporting light rail, and this shuttle is part of the key to its success. And whether you like it or not, we have a growing downtown population that would be well-served by an accessible, easy-to-use shuttle.
There to do his best to derail our admittedly major investment in LRT is longstanding critic of many things urban -- State Representative Phil Krinkie (R-Shoreview). I'll continue by quoting the Business Journal from http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2003/12/08/daily50.html?jst=b_ ln_hl : The Metropolitan Council and the City of Minneapolis agreed to develop the shuttle in 2000. Earlier this week, the Metropolitan Council was set to approve the plan, when it got a surprise visit from a longtime light-rail opponent, state Rep. Philip Krinkie, R-Shoreview. Krinkie said state law prohibited the council from paying more than half of the operating costs of a downtown circulator, and suggested the council charge a fee for the circulator instead. ...The council ultimately tabled the proposal pending research to find out whether the circulator would in fact violate state law, Gibbons said. On the face of the matter, it appears the Metropolitan Council would fund more than half of cost of the circulator. Plans call for paying about $1.5 million of the circulator's projected $1.6 million operating costs in 2004 and continuing a contribution of that amount in subsequent years, according to a funding breakdown from the City of Minneapolis. [But the $1.5 million] would come from revenues supplied by the City of Minneapolis. The city gets those revenues from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) from operating a Minneapolis parking ramp owned by MNDOT - known as the Third Avenue Distributor garages. Bob Spaulding Downtown St. Paul (Looking to set up the same kind of shuttle in the capitol city someday) REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
