The busway got a big boost last night when the Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency once again backed the $573 million project. Read the hastily written story here. (My editor, Bill Sarno, got it into print despite the decision coming half an hour after deadline.)
Only two people on the agency voted against the move -- the two Bristol delegates who attended: Don Padlo and Tim Furey. Bristol's other representative, John Pompei, was absent.
Some of the things that didn't get in the story:
* Mayor Art Ward is going to meet today with New Britain Mayor Tim Stewart and the state's transportation commissioner, Joseph Marie. Marie pledged to try to find ways to relieve Bristol's isolation from the state's transportation system.
* Marie and other DOT officials warned that if the CCRPA refused to back the busway, all of the region's transportation projects that rely on federal cash would grind to a halt for two years.
* Marie said that if the state pulled the plug on the busway, it would have to repay to the federal government 80 percent of the $53 million it has already spent on the project.
When I get my notes off my laptop, I'll add more.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
14 comments:
This is an example of one of thre most important parts of a mayor's job and Ward may be over his head. Let's hope I'm wrong. There is no room for "glad-handing" here.
Kill it in the Legislature!
What was Vice Chairman Diamantis' stand on this when it was in Appropriations (since we're going to try and blame Rowland Rell 4 years ago and beyond)?
Pompei: Thanks for nothing you loser.
I don't remember anyone opposing it until the last couple of years. Quite a few officials rolled their eyes about it, but with no alternatives and a much lower price tag, they didn't stand against it. Only when the rail option arose did real opposition emerge. By then, Diamantis was out of the legislature.
It's amazing the the Bristol Press doesn't see the negative ramifications not only regarding state-wide mass transit and it's relation to Bristol, but the entire down-town scheme as well.
Steve,
I think you should organize a walk-out.
Steve, thank you for showing us how ignorant 9:16 is; maybe they will dig a deeper hole and bury their head farther into the sand.
The City Council voted unanimously to endorse the busway in December 2004. Guess Artie wasn't paying attention when he voted (gasp)! And Don Padlo needs to do some homework before accusing others of "back room deals".
And what say you Atty Welsh???
The inability to read can be called ignorance, the inability to comprehend is a lack of intelligence Mr. "Snifles".
Obviously Collins' comment shows that there was no opposition to this busway when Diamantis was VP of the Appropriations Committee.
Shame on the 2004 Council that endorsed the busway. May we have their names? I'll bet it's the same crowd that voted to buy the mall and voted to build a new mega-school on the Plymouth Town line.
Snifles:
It's about the busway stupid. The busway never did anything for Bristol (like you) and it should have been opposed by the delegation from Bristol.
"And what say you Atty Welsh February 5, 2010 1:21 PM"
-Agreed. The Bristol Republican'ts always are given chances to shine, but they always miss the boat. Perhaps they're too wrapped up in themselves? Maybe Barne$$$ will give Welsh a "heads-up" in a few weeks?
Meanwhile others wait for their statements to be written for them.
1:41
NICASTRO Frank
WARD
Scott
COUTURE
Zoppo
Wilson
Myers
February 5, 2010 7:28 PM:
They messed up then. It's time for people of Bristol to come together and fight to stop this wasteful, myopic, narrow-minded project pushed forward by self-centered politicians. It's not time to buckle under and fold up.
2:19
How about mid-October?
thre I thought you were perfect Positively Wrong ?
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