Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "stimulus"

Sacramento Companies Navigate the Grant Maze

2010-03-10T02:58:13Z

While winning grant monies in the private industry sector sometimes seems impossible, a number of technology companies in the Sacramento region have recently won government grants to help fund research and underwrite programs. For example, in September, Renewable Energy Institute International received a $20 million economic stimulus grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a pilot biorefinery to turn crop and wood waste into diesel fuel. In October, Insera Therapeutics was awarded a $150,000 Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that they will use to develop the industry's first clot-specific catheter-based platform for treatment of ischemic strokes. And just last month, Arcadia Biosiences received a two-year $855,500 federal stimulus grant to help fund the development of wheat varieties with reduced celiac disease-causing proteins.

The grant writing process is time consuming and excruciatingly detailed. Most entrepreneurs find it difficult to even know where to start. Identifying grant opportunities for private industry can be elusive, in spite of the helpful information found at grants.gov.

SARTA, the Sacramento region's high tech business accelerator, understands the frustrations private industry encounters when they try to unravel the government grant maze. To help navigate grant opportunities, SARTA is hosting a grant writing seminar on March 17 at Drexel University. "Grant Writing Basics for Private Industry" will include instruction on how to get started from experienced grant writers Trudy Kilian and Dan Arementa of DJT Consulting Group, as well as a panel discussion featuring local technology companies who have secured grant monies. Vikram Janardhan, CEO of Insera Therapuetics, will represent medical technology; Jeff Jennings, Grant Development Practice Manager at Western Blue, an NWN Company, will represent government technology; and Greg Tamblyn, Executive Director at Renewable Energy Institute International will represent clean technology.

Seminar Details
Wednesday, March 17th from 8:30 am to 11:30 pm at Drexel University, One Capitol Mall, Suite 260, Sacramento, CA 95814.
General Admission $50, SARTA Member $25 (includes 4 hours of parking at One Capitol Mall Valet garage & a continental breakfast)
For more information or to register, visit www.sarta.org

About SARTA
SARTA (Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance) is a tech-focused 501(c)(3) corporation that supports entrepreneurial programs, companies and technology investment throughout Butte, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Solano, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties.

SARTA’s mission is to accelerate the growth and development of technology companies and the technology sector in the Sacramento region. SARTA connects and provides resources for the region’s high-tech entrepreneurs, investors, business, non-profit, economic development and community leaders, supporting its goal to attract $1 billion in investment capital to the region. SARTA also provides high-tech entrepreneurs, executives, and other business and community leaders with connectivity and resources for growth, networking, and educational opportunities.

Johnson reviews his first year as mayor

2009-12-03T06:03:01Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson has been at the helm of the city for one full year.

Johnson made remarks to reporters Tuesday about his past year in office, saying that his volunteer program and a drop in crime are among his accomplishments, and that the city’s business climate and City Council disagreements are some of his shortfalls. His one-year anniversary as mayor was Dec. 2.

“I’ve been in office 365 days,” Johnson said at his Tuesday meeting with reporters. “And I’m just as excited today as when I got elected.”

Johnson cited the city’s falling homicide rate and federal stimulus funding for police as achievements. The city was awarded more than $12 million in federal stimulus funds for police, Johnson noted. “That’s going to allow us to put even more police officers on the street in the next three years,” he said.

Of the roughly $12 million for the police department, $9.5 million is for hiring and $2.5 million is for equipment.

Johnson also said Tuesday that the city’s homicide rate has dropped significantly.

Sacramento Police Department spokesman Norm Leong said Wednesday that homicides have declined this year during the period of Jan. 1 to Dec. 2.

In that timeline last year, the city reported 45 homicides, according to Leong. By comparison, there have been 26 homicides during that period this year, Leong said. Sacramento police have solved 21 homicides this year, he pointed out.

Johnson said his work on community service and volunteerism is another one of his accomplishments. His program Volunteer Sacramento had an original goal to clock 500,000 service hours, he said. Volunteers surpassed the goal and gave 800,000 hours of their time, Johnson added.

“Again, when you have a down economy, you have to call on the regular citizens to step up and they were able to do that in a very significant manner,” he said.

Johnson also identified shortfalls in his first year. The city “took a step backwards” when it came to fostering a positive climate for businesses, he said.

Michael Faust, senior vice president of public policy and economic development at the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, said “divisive politics” - not Johnson - are to blame for the city being less friendly to business than it could be.

Under City Manager Ray Kerridge’s leadership and programs like the Facilities Permit Program (FPP), the city “became known as a great place to do business,” Faust said.

But recent battles over Nestlé’s move to Sacramento and the national press attention to the issue sends a negative message to companies that may be interested in relocating to Sacramento, he added.

“It’s been very disappointing,” Faust said.

Johnson also said working relationships at the City Council have been a problem. The council has not functioned as well as he would have liked, Johnson said.

“It’s been frustrating, to say the least,” he said. “I think we’ve allowed differences and petty issues to get in the way. I campaigned with a commitment to try to make an environment where it’s not business-as-usual. And that’s an area certainly I have to improve.”

Johnson further said he wanted to improve relationships among councilmembers.

“I’ve got to do a better job and see if I can get us more collaborative and having more of a collegial relationship when we don’t agree on issues,” he said.

Councilman Ray Tretheway responded to Johnson’s comments Wednesday.

“I think I’ve witnessed both petty issues as well as large philosophical issues,” Tretheway said. “It’s a combination.”

Tretheway said that more communication is needed. If Johnson wants to work toward better communication with councilmembers, that effort would be welcomed, he said.

“I think all of us would want to take advantage of that offer,” Tretheway said.

Tretheway acknowledged that the debate over Johnson’s strong mayor initiative, which councilmembers do not support, has played a role in terms of the council’s communications with Johnson. The strong mayor debate “has been a factor in the inability to have full communications,” Tretheway said.

As Johnson moves into his second year, he said jobs will be his key focus. “Everything I do next year will have a lens of job creation in mind,” he said. “Jobs, jobs, jobs.”

Photos by Anthony Bento.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Community organizers demand oversight of stimulus funds

2009-03-20T04:24:32Z

Community Organizers called for increased oversight of the spending of national stimulus funds in Sacramento this Wednesday at the Green Living Center in Sacramento's Boulevard Park neighborhood. The organizers were a small group of real estate developers, members of nonprofit organizations, and others who had gathered to discuss the formation of the Economic Opportunity Commission, a group devoted to using funds provided by the stimulus to develop Sacramento's poorer neighborhoods.

Jim Knapp, a longtime community organizer and Director of Development at the nonprofit organization Build America, said that such an organization was necessary to combat corruption in the city's handling of stimulus funds. Knapp inveighed against the close connections large developers have with city government, saying that it allowed graft and criminal circumvention of regulation on a large scale. He said that a small group of developers, including David Taylor and Angelo Tsakopoulos, had become billionaires over the past two decades by exploiting their connections to city government.

Knapp called a recent city council decision to give David Taylor $10 million dollars for the construction of three bars on K street "obscene." He went on to say, "We can't get them (the city council) to allocate money for homeless services, for transitional housing, for neighborhood job programs, for youth, but they will give $10 million dollars of redevelopment money away for bars."

Cline Moore, a local businessman and Executive Director of Build America, also commented on this decision, saying that it "takes normal market forces out of the picture and says, this person gets a hand up, a favor, because he's the city's golden boy." He described the city council as a "rubber stamp" that ignored the opposition from local business owners to the subsidy of Taylor's developments.

Both Knapp and Moore stressed the importance of keeping political pressure on the city government, saying that the EOC would be committed to "keeping their feet to the fire," to prevent further abuse of power by the council and others.

Moore said that the EOC would be an inclusionary group that would include green building firms, youth groups, homeless programs, elder care, and other interests. By combining these interests to lobby together, Moore says said they would be more effective at creating sustainable urban development guided by "a policy-driven, research-based plan."

According to Moore, "Sacramento is one of the regions hardest -hit by the housing crisis." He cited the hundreds of foreclosed and vacant properties in the Oak Park, Del Paso Heights, and South Natomas neighborhoods and went on to say, "These areas have been targeted for rehabilitation by SHRA." However, Moore then said that the SHRA plan neglected several vital issues related to what he called "neighborhood stabilization," a key phrase at the meeting.

Moore said "Neighborhood stabilization is not just about building houses, not just about putting up frames and selling them to speculators. Neighborhood stabilization is about lowering crime rates, increasing property values," and creating a close-knit business friendly community with a solid infrastructure.

The meeting was also addressed by former California Secretary of Health and Human Development Grantland Johnson. Johnson cautioned against focusing too much on one issue, saying, "if you're focused on one issue, that's OK, but it's hard to sustain, it's hard to make other people see what your common, underlying interests are." He also said that the overriding issue in Sacramento politics today was "a lack of transparency and forthrightness when it comes to public policy," an opinion shared by many of the meeting's other attendants.

At the meeting's conclusion, Moore reiterated the importance of quick action, saying "We are never going to get an opportunity like this again. We are never going to get these gifts from the government again, free money to do the right thing, and if we let these developers come in and build another martini bar, we'll just be scraping by with whatever crumbs are left."

Responses were solicited from the offices of Angelo Tsakopoulos and David Taylor, however as of press time no comments have been received. Maurice Chaney, Public Information Officer for the City, did release a response to the comments made by Moore and Knapp about Taylor's K street developments, saying "It’s important to remember that the City of Sacramento did its due diligence as part of this project proposal. It met with many stakeholders and other interested parties, including the midtown businesses, over several months to ensure that full participation and outreach was conducted to understand the issues and concerns." The full text of Chaney's response can be found here.

City's response to 10th and K development project comments

2009-03-20T04:19:17Z

Maurice Chaney, Public Information Officer for the City of Sacramento, had this to say in response to comments made by Cline Moore and Jim Knapp of the Build America nonprofit organization.

"In terms of the money that will be used to fund the 10th and K development, I think it's important to clarify that the Sheraton Hotel proceeds are legally obligated to David S. Taylor Interests and the CIM Group, and can only be used for downtown development projects.

"The City believes that this project builds on the momentum and number of investments made downtown, including the Citizen Hotel, the Crest, Ella’s, the Cosmopolitan, and Marilyn’s. The development of 1012-1022 K Street not only reinforces these investments, but will compliment business activity in Midtown.

With regard to the cost, the City of Sacramento is providing $5.7 million in assistance for the project; not $10 million as mentioned.

"It’s important to remember that the City of Sacramento did its due diligence as part of this project proposal. It met with many stakeholders and other interested parties, including the midtown businesses, over several months to ensure that full participation and outreach was conducted to understand the issues and concerns. Prior to the council meeting, an accord was made, whereby the Mayor, Councilmember Tretheway and several midtown businesses and restaurateurs agreed to move ahead with this project.

"As part of the provision of the agreement, it was agreed that a marketing campaign between the Midtown Business Association, the Downtown Sacramento Partnership and the Convention and Visitors Bureau be developed and implemented to effectively market Midtown and central city businesses. Additionally, the city has agreed to match the private dollars generated towards this effort."

Stimulating RT's budget debate

2009-03-20T01:10:14Z

Sacramento Regional Transit received some welcome news from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments today. SACOG has set aside $22.24 million in federal stimulus money for RT's use. But the largesse may just add fuel to a growing dispute between RT and the Paratransit board, not to mention undermining efforts to force cost-cutting concessions from RT employees.

SACOG announced the distribution of $76 million for transportation projects in Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties. The SACOG press release said this is in addition to $32 million authorized in February for road rehabilitation. The amounts are based on the region’s estimate of funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed by President Obama in February.

Specifically, RT is scheduled to receive $946,296 for preventative maintenance and another $13,053,704 for preventative maintenance or, in other words, exactly $14 million for preventative maintenance. In addition, RT will receive an additional $8.24 million for "UTDC light rail train retrofits."

RT has been hammered by the loss of state funding over the last two years. Despite raising fares this year, RT is looking at a $14 million budget deficit over the next two years.

On Feb. 23, Sacramento Regional Transit staff announced at a board meeting that the district's plans to balance this year's budget and next year's rely on getting at least $14 million in federal stimulus funds, with at least $7 million arriving this year and a like amount next.

RT's budget balancing relies on the stimulus funds displacing current expenditures, thus allowing the carryover into the next fiscal year of $7 million. That $7 million carryover plus the second year's federal stimulus allotment will paper over the deficit in the district's 2010 budget caused by state cutbacks in funding.

Meanwhile, Steve Robinson-Burmester, Paratransit's chief financial officer, has been making noises about getting a cut of that federal money to shore up Paratransit's operation. He wants ADA funding increased 8 percent in the 2010 fiscal year.

According to a March 9 memo from Dee Brookshire, RT's chief financial officer, to Laura Forester Ham, the director of accessible services, Burmester has been told that there will be no increase in ADA funding in the 2010 fiscal year over the 2009 level. Brookshire characterized Burmester's assertion that an increase in ADA funding is due as "false, misleading and contradictory to the information he has been provided directly and in writing . . ."

Burmester had suggested RT was in line to receive $28 million in stimulus money. In the March 9 memo, Brookshire responded:

"RT is working with SACOG on a methodology that we believe will yield a total of $14 million in preventive maintenance funding in FY 2009 and FY 2010, not $28 million. If successful, this effort will go toward bridging RT's funding shortfall of $4-5 million in FY 2009 and the additional funding shortfall of $13 million in FY 2010."

So did RT get an extra $8.24 million in federal stimulus funds beyond what they require?

Alane Masui, the assistant general manager of marketing and communications for Sacramento Regional Transit, says, "No, SACOG staff recommended $8,240,000 for UTDC retrofits at the SACOG board meeting in March."

According to RT documents, the district acquired 21 used rail UTDC cars from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). RT envisions using the UTDC cars as a cost effective solution for RT’s light rail fleet expansion requirements, allowing RT to complete the midlife overhauls for the 36 Siemens light rail vehicles and also cover the South Sacramento Phase 2 light rail extension.

According to SACOG documents, RT requested $1.125 million for retrofitting the 21 UTDC light rail vehicles to add automatic audio and text train announcements and CCTV surveillance systems. Another $6.3 million would pay for UTDC fleet midlife refurbishment.

Based on the premise that RT would only receive $14 million in federal stimulus plans, Brookshire said RT would require that everyone tighten their belts.

"[I]nternal cost cutting measures include freezing wages, increasing benefit costs to employees, and furloughing staff for at least 12 days over the next 21 months. In addition, all contracts for service such as those with Paratransit Inc. and Sacramento County will be frozen, with no increases, through FY 2011."

On March 9, the district board implemented changes in the wages and benefits for management and confidential employees. At RT's March 23 meeting, the board will amend the contracts of RT's top two employees -- General Manager Mike Wiley and Chief Legal Counsel Bruce Behrens. They will be required to take 12 furlough days between March 16 and Dec. 31, 2010. They will receive no "upward salary adjustments during the same period."

RT ridership still up despite fare hikes; federal stimulus funds may help

2009-02-21T02:06:16Z

Sacramento Regional Transit General Manager Mike Wiley has plenty of good news to give the district board of directors at Monday evening's meeting. But it's just not enough to make up for the bad news coming from the economy in general and the state in particular. And it won't forestall consideration of charging for using RT's park-and-ride lots

Wiley reports in his "FY 09 -- Key Performance Report" that systemwide ridership is up 10.2 percent counting year-to-date and up the same margin when compared with last January. Light rail is up 7.1 percent on a year-to-date scale and 11.54 percent compared with last January. The bus ridership year-to-date is 13.6 percent higher and compared with last January up 9.07 percent. Bus riders continue to outnumber light rail riders in January.

Unmentioned by Wiley's report is that this increase comes in the face of January's fare increase. Fears that higher fares would discourage ridership haven't been borne out, at least not yet.

That increase in fares in part accounts for the good news on fare recovery.

"For the month of January, RT's fare revenue is above $3.1 million," Wiley reports. "January's fare recovery ration is at 28.1 percent. Compared to the same period last year it is 8.1 percent higher."

As a result of this increase, the district has adjusted its budget, one of the few positive shifts RT is anticipating.

The full report is available here.

At Monday's meeting the board will receive a report on the budget that underlines the double-whammy that has slapped the district -- local economic decline shrinking the sales tax revenue and state banditry stealing what was left of the state's assistance to public transit.

On the positive side of the leger, RT expects the Sacramento Urbanized Area to receive $41 million from the federal economic stimulus package.

"This could mean additional funding for RT's preventative maintenance costs up to $6.8 million if all formula requirements are met," reports an Issue Paper that accompanies Agenda Item No. 14.

The Issue Paper is available here.

Crocker Launches Arts Stimulus Package

2009-02-20T23:24:28Z

Economy have you feeling down? The Crocker Art Museum is offering some much-needed respite and relaxation at special rates through its Arts Stimulus Package. Launching today, the special deals and discounts will remain in effect through 2009.

“Historically, museums are very well attended during times of national strife and economic decline,” comments Lial A. Jones, Director, Crocker Art Museum. “Individuals look for places to relax and refresh. Our goal is to keep the Crocker easily accessible during this difficult time.”

The Arts Stimulus Package includes two ongoing specials for the general public and extra discounts for public employees on Furlough Fridays.

Guests can purchase a new membership onsite at the Museum and receive $5 off an Individual or Family-level membership, regularly $45 and $55 respectively. Membership benefits include one full year of offerings from the Crocker, including free admission, special exhibition opening celebrations, Third Thursday Jazz concerts, family programs and more.

Visitors enjoy 10 percent off a purchase of $10 or more at the Museum Store with the coupon available for download at crockerartmuseum.org/specials. The Museum Store offers a variety of unique items that reflect the Museum's diverse art collection, its exhibitions and programs and the regional arts scene.

Every Friday, state, county and city employees may show their business cards or identification badges to receive reduced admission for up to four individuals. Furlough Friday admission rates are $4 adults, $3 seniors and $2 students. Admission is regularly $6 adults, $4 seniors and $3 students. Public workers will also receive $10 off a new membership when purchased onsite at the Museum on Furlough Fridays.

For more information, visit crockerartmuseum.org/specials.

The Crocker Art Museum was founded in 1885 and continues as the leading art institution for the California Capital Region and Central Valley. The Museum offers a diverse spectrum of special exhibitions, events and programs to augment its collections of California, European and Asian artworks. The Crocker is located at 216 O Street in Downtown Sacramento. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday; 1st and 3rd Thursdays until 9 p.m. Free admission on Sundays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. is made possible through the support of Bank of America. For more information on exhibits and events call (916) 808-7000 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.

Furloughs, stimulus and DNA -- Let's chat!

2009-02-07T03:39:44Z

Sacramento Regional Transit General Manager entered cyberspace for an hour Friday for his monthly web chat. The full text of the session can be found here. What follows is a personalized summary, along with a little regrouping to make the story a little easier to follow.

Being the state capital and the home to so many state workers, it wasn’t surprising that the topic of furloughs was on the minds of several participants in the chat.

Wiley offered that RT won’t be giving Regional Transit staff extra three-day weekends. “No,” he said, “Furloughs only save money for Regional Transit if they are in concert with service reductions. We want to avoid an additional service reduction. The transit system is seeing huge increases in ridership. Cutting service when we are having these great ridership gains, doesn't make sense. Our goal is to trim everything else in an attempt to avoid service reductions and layoffs.”

He also explained that RT has been there, done that with service cuts: “Due to previous state budget cuts, RT cut 5 percent of unproductive bus service in January 2008. The $18.3 million loss of state funds for this fiscal year resulted in a fare increase effective January 1, 2009.”

Actually, Wiley said RT considered the furlough option: “The vast majority of employees at Regional Transit are drivers and mechanics. We have just enough people to provide the service we operate. If we furloughed employees, we are indirectly cutting service for those trips that would not operate. In the case of our mechanics, buses and trains not safely maintained are not operated. This would result in sporadic service cuts throughout the system. We don't think service cuts are the answer to our budget problems.”

Which is not to say RT isn’t trying furlough-like options. Said Wiley, “We are looking for budget savings everywhere they might be found. This included a detailed analysis of potential furloughs. Those that pencil out are being brought forward to our board for their consideration. Some, like a hiring freeze for most positions, have been in place for nearly two years. We are totally focused on keeping our costs under control and finding savings where we can. We will avoid service cuts as long as possible. “

As a transit enthusiast myself, I want to underline and clip and save this part of Wiley’s chat: “With the ridership numbers we are seeing, service expansion is what's needed for the underserved communities in the region.”

Wiley also explained that the state furloughs won’t be used as a justification for service cuts. “No,” Wiley said, “we've looked at running holiday service on the State Furlough days, but since they only reduce the number of bus runs during the day, and only 26 additional days in a year, the cost savings are minimal. On light rail especially, many more people than state workers would be inconvenienced if we reduced light rail service. We may be reducing the length of the trains on those days as demand could be some what less.”

Speaking of the length of trains, Wiley was asked, “Do you think RT can operate three-car Light Rail trains in the middle of the day? It seems the current two-car non-peak operation between rush hours results in overcrowding, especially around lunch time.”

Wiley replied: “We monitor the conditions on the light rail and buses, and have noticed that there has been an increase in crowding during the midday. We have to plan well in advance to change the number of cars. … If crowding persists, we will consider increasing the number of midday cars. This is limited, however, by the maintenance requirements on the fleet. … There is a cost to increase the number of cars. With the State of California still considering an additional $3.9 million raid on our budget we may not have the funding to add service.”

Before we get too far from the furlough question, I must include this question from a Citrus Heights resident: “Given that the State has now mandated Furloughs to its employees, has RT considered giving a further break in cost to its State employee riders to help out?”

Disclosure moment: I’m married to a state government manager. I’m not a disinterested party to the consequences of what is, in effect, a 10 percent pay cut state workers will swallow if furloughs continue. Still, I think Wiley was right:

“The state subsidizes the cost of state employees' tickets,” he said. “Since the subsidy is set at a maximum amount the state contributes, employees will be receiving a full monthly subsidy spread over fewer days. From RT's perspective we are loosing a large number of riders each day the state furloughs employees on top of the transit dollars the State is raiding to help balance the State budget. It's important to remember that the fare revenue we collect covers about 25% of our operating cost.”

While the state has been taking money away from RT, it looks Congress may soon throw some cash RT’s way: “RT will receive an as yet undetermined amount of funding under the stimulus package. We have worked closely with our regional partners to identify ‘ready to go’ projects that can help us improve service to the public without drastically increasing our operating costs. As you may have read, the stimulus package does not provide any new resources for operating costs. However, we have requested funding for projects that allow us to implement limited stop services, continue to work on a second bus maintenance facility, rehabilitate some of our stations, refurbish 21 light rail vehicles, upgrade our work trucks and equipment, and implement an electronic information system for our riders (automatic vehicle location, next stop announcements, electronic signs). We will know more about how much money we might receive when President Obama signs the stimulus package into law. The current projection is that he will do so before February 15.”

Specific “ready-to-go” projects identified by Wiley include accelerating the South Line light rail extension and other key capital projects. “These projects would have a positive economic and environmental impact on the Sacramento region, and could add new service and improve RT's infrastructure,” he said. “All of the funding we expect to receive will be utilized for our capital program. At this point we do not expect to receive any financial support to cover our operating cost. Consequently, we will not be able to restore bus service reductions implemented in January 2008.”

Not only can the stimulus not be used for operating expenses, but it won’t be useful for buying buses or light rail cars.

“The stimulus money is intended to support capital projects that are "ready to go" within 90 days from the date of enactment of the law. Unfortunately, it takes about 18 months to order buses, and about 2-1/2 years to order trains, unless we can tack-on to an existing bus or rail car order,” Wiley explained. “So, RT went through its capital program and specifically identified projects that we could both commit the funds to (get our Board approval for) and expend the funds on within two years, as required in the stimulus package. We are requesting funds to rehabilitate the 21 rail cars that we bought from Valley Transit a few years ago. These will provide us with the ability to improve our service with limited stop (express) operations on the Blue Line from Downtown Sacramento to the Watt/I-80 Station.

On the subject of the Folsom express light rail service, a Carmichael resident asked it if would be possible to do that with the existing tracks.

“We are making changes to the signaling system to enable the limited stop service,” Wiley said. “Limited stop service is a service where we stop at only the major the stations. This saves time for the riders.”

Help for this effort, Wiley explained in response to another question, will arrive from the settlement of the Highway 50 HOV lane lawsuit settlement.”

“RT should receive the money from the Highway 50 compromise this summer, which will allow us to begin procurement of parts and equipment,” Wiley said. “There is no track construction as such, because we are talking about having limited stop (express) service from the Historic Folsom Station and 15 minute frequency service from the Hazel Station to downtown. The funding from Caltrans will actually fund signaling, safety, and grade crossing improvements to make the limited stop service operational.”

An “Elk Grove, CA, CA” resident (we have to use euphemisms for those things) asked: “Many aspects of the stimulus bill seem to be under attack. Is there anything we as citizens can do to make sure transit gets a good share of the stimulus funding?”

“Recent amendments to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) include funding for transportation infrastructure projects that suggest significant increases in transit spending including funding for "ready-to-go" projects. … These amendments are up for debate in the Senate. Contact your senators today and urge them to support amendments to increase transit spending.”

And Folsom improvements and the South line extension aren’t the only places where things may be moving soon.

Someone from Portland , OR, asked, “Any long term plans about getting LR service to the airport?”

“Yes,” Wiley replied. “Only they are not so long-term. The RT Board of Directors directed staff to accelerate completion of the Downtown-Natomas-Airport (DNA) project as much as possible. We have therefore sped up planning for the project, with an anticipated completion date in 2017 for the connection to the Airport. This would coincide with the completion of the Airport's Terminal B expansion. As a "down payment" on this commitment, RT just this week released a Request for Qualifications for the design and construction of the first phase of the DNA, from 7th Street to Richards Boulevard. The projected revenue operation date of that segment is October 31, 2010.”

And to another question on the same topic, he added: “RT has made significant progress with the DNA line over the last several months. We are completing a project level Environmental Impact Report for the first segment from 7th and H to Richards Boulevard, and are planning to start the Federal environmental process on the rest of the line within the next year. This week, we published a request for qualifications for firms to bid on a design/build contract to design and build the first phase of the DNA. We are actively working with the City of Sacramento, the Railyards and Township 9 developments, and others, to clear issues along the right of way. Our goal is to complete the first phase, which we are calling "The Green Line", by October 31, 2010. We hope that we will have the funding to purchase and operate the Green Line using low-floor, universal access light rail cars, as a downtown circulator from our 13th Street Station all the way to Richards Boulevard.”

There’s more to read at the RT web site, but I want to end with this particularly useful exchange:

From Sacramento, CA: “Light Rail Door Alarms: The current buzzers that sound when doors open and close are really annoying. Can't we get a chime or tone that's a little less harsh on the ears?”

Wiley’s reply: “Actually, the buzzers are intended to be somewhat irritating.”

And you thought it was unintentional.

OK. That’s the Fox News version of what Wiley had to say. Here’s the SacramentoPress version:

“Actually, the buzzers are intended to be somewhat irritating so that people do not ignore them. They are a safety requirement, and they have to be audible even to persons with certain hearing impairments, so they know when the doors are preparing to close. It is actually a small irritation if it prevents someone from being injured by a closing door.”