As We See It: The case for buying the rail line

I don't want the rail necessarily - I want it just as open space - just as it is right now. Buy it for the $14mm and let it sit as is.

Your decision to support buying the rail line is filled with muddled thinking as would be required to conclude that is a prudent expenditure of public (taxpayer) money. You say it is okay because "the money, mostly from the state is there" Of course the state is essentially bankrupt and should have money only for high priority needs. Purchase of a rail line does not pass this test. "It would be tremendous benefit to local residents, if only for recreational purposes...and would also be a tourist draw." This deflates the meaning of "tremendous benefit" as most residents would pay little attention mostly because they currently have many more convenient options to any of these benefits, such as beautiful coastal parks and more trails than one can use in a lifetime. It is impossible for me to believe that tourists will throng to Santa Cruz County to see the "rail trail." Tourists come for the fun at the beach, the rides, and the beauty of the county, none of this depends significantly on an expensive and peripheral rail trail.
"Still the rail advocates believe passionately in their cause, and could find creative ways to raise money and ensure the trail is both safe and built to standards." What are these creative ways. Your editorial only speaks of money from the state (I note the problems with that source earlier) and you also state that the trail will "almost certainly need state and federal funds" to build the trail. So the creative sources you have noted are to take money from taxpayers outside the county in California and the USA to pay for the trail that those want so passionately. If the Santa Cruz County residents want this so passionately, than Santa Cruz County should pay for this. If there is a benefit Santa Cruz County residents are the ones who would have most of the benefit and they should pay for it. Of course you and those passionately supporting it know that Santa Cruz County residents would not agree to pay for this and are not being considered to pay for hardly any of it. It seems like a good idea because you are finding a creative way to spend someone else's money. If there are other creative ideas for funding this, please put them on the table; but what you have offered is spending state and federal money on something wanted by an unknown number of passsionate supporters in Santa Cruz County;' and this is not responsible stewardship of taxpayer money

So, your editorial states that we have not done enough studies, we don't have the money to pay for anything beyond the purchase to fund the maintenance or construction of a tourist or freight line service, we don't know how to run it, it does not really reach populous areas, and the state is bankrupt, BUT, you still support the purchase...? Why? Is this the same level of scrutinty that is used for other purchases (gambles).

Are you complete idiots? Well, Yes evidently.

So, what are you willing to give up to fund this recreational trail?

Improvements to Highway 1? Bus lines?

Education?

Public Safety?

The money has to come from someplace, and it doesn't grow on trees.

The time to buy expensive things is when you have the money. Is that now?

"For years, advocates have dreamed of a hiking and biking trail that would 'run alongside the coastal tracks.' Similar trails have been built in other communities, such as Monterey County and San Luis Obispo, and have proven popular with people."

This issue is still being picked at and it will prevail because SC county officals only care about one thing...Tourist MONEY! Say it like it is...This is a "tourist train" designed to operate several times a day bringing tourists down the coast from SC into Aptos/Sea Scrape Resort/LaSelva areas. The true "advocates" want a trail/bike path but NOT along side a train. The rail tracks should be paved over and made into a county wide bike/hiking path. This would not cost $14M.

Sum Dim Classic wrote:

the intersection of King and Bay Streets.

That decrepit rail trail is going up King?? GREAT! When the train fell off the track between Almar and Swift we had a mell of a Hess around here.

Simply Put wrote:

The time to buy expensive things is when you have the money. Is that now?

Following your line of reasoning, we also shouldn't be spending "make-believe" money on widening Highway 1, or re-surfacing streets in the county or cities in an effort to try & keep all the cars going all the time no matter what the cost.
Be interesting to compare the cost of one mile of bike lanes or sidewalks, the maintenance of one mile of railroad track that's already in place, or one mile of widening a freeway.

Financial concerns are many, but either way millions of dollars are already earmarked for rail in California by Warren Buffet. He has the moolah and not us! We cannot even pave our main downtown street all the way without state intervention.

If charging stations are being planned (Planet Better Place) for electric/solar cars, building of high speed rail, and money from a multi-millionaire this purchase is questionable and very hard to look at both ways- yes/no.

That Scenic Trail has been a "carrot-on-a-stick" for over 20 years. Going through with train expansion to bring tourists to enjoy a trail that is not there is pretty ridiculous.

Small minded fixation on tourism and retail helps Keep Santa Cruz Poor. We need this oversize model railroad like a hole in the head. Priorities please.

It sounds like it's time to start requiring bicycle registration, licensing and insurance.

Where are the incredibly wealthy advocates who want to invest into the community!? A bike-walk scenic trail would be a beautiful investment for those "haves" in the community to share with the rest of the world for generations to come! Lets get busy all you liberal minded and make this happen. You all say you want equality, sharing, peace, love and harmony. This a great start and an expression of all these things. Having ridden the bike trails around the bay waters of San diego, etc. this would be an amazing thing to have in our backyard!

Ain't it great when someone who has been at the helm of a sinking ship, the S.S. Senile, offers advice on how to run a business?

Ain't it amazing when the editor whose career is based on analysis and communications can put out an opinion that could have been written by my cat?

For those new to this rail debacle, it has been studied to death. Like a ship left it port it has accumulated so many barnacles (beuracratic jobs and jobs for consultant pals), it will sink in a light swell - if it can get out of port without beaching itself.

What you have known your whole life, in this town, in this state, in the country of government spending on things like rails to nowhere are over. Yes, other towns got rail to trails on the back of the taxpayers in other counties and states. We din't, because we are too slow and stupid here in Santa Cruz, the county that needs a transportation committe with 70 members run by bureuacrats who can't even run a 6 person office.

The "Oh I'd like one of those goodies please - as long as someone else is paying" days are over.

Jeremy wrote:

<quoted text>
Following your line of reasoning, we also shouldn't be spending "make-believe" money on widening Highway 1, or re-surfacing streets in the county or cities in an effort to try & keep all the cars going all the time no matter what the cost.
Be interesting to compare the cost of one mile of bike lanes or sidewalks, the maintenance of one mile of railroad track that's already in place, or one mile of widening a freeway.

A great deal of revenue comes from gasoline taxes, which used to pay exclusively for roads. Jerry Brown mixed it all together into the General Fund and now our roads are inadequate and in bad shape.

You want money for a bike trail? Get bike riders to pay for it. Maybe bike riders should be taxed the way car drivers are.

At $14 million, the property and associated right-of-ways is incredibly undervalued. Whether the land was turned into a bike path, expressway, or development, it is a great deal for the county. The county could make a profit just by purchasing and selling back to adjacent land owners. Do not let this opportunity pass.

Is it not interesting that the owners of the rail do not see an economic return on the spur line for passenger or any use advocated by the locals? Why has the the railroad not sold off more of the leased lands they hold? Is it not true that the only reason freight is still run on the line is the cement plant and a few others who need it, and the legal requirement placed on the railroad to provide the service? So, if the county buys the right of way, will we too be required to provide service to those now using the it? If so, how can we expect to break even when the railroad cannot?

Let's say that we buy the land, rip out the rails, then live with the increased truck traffic through the county. Now that is green thinking.

The article states that this is a once in a generation opportunity, but I still do not agree with the purchase. There are too may other, more important things that deserve funding above this recreational trail. Don't get me wrong, in a perfect world this would be an awesome addition to our county. Unfortunatly for us this is not a perfect world and the money is needed elsewhere. I honestly do not understand how on earth there could be "money there" from the state as the article says. California is in such a bad spot I don't see how $14 million could be set aside for a potential tourist attraction and recreational spot. Frankly I think we have plenty of both (actually too many tourists). This county is full of beauty and things to do. This is not something we need, it is something we want and in times like this we don't get everything we want.
I am also curious since this is a once in a lifetime opportunity....who else might be eyeing the purchase of this property and track? What would this party propose happen with the land?

I love the way the Sentinel glosses over many important decision facts. "Once in a generation opportunity" .. are you kidding? The corridor is not going anywhere. No one else wants to buy it because of the legal requirement to operate even a money losing freight service. YES, money losing per the RTC's own study (the UP refuses to show its records even to the RTC .. hmmmm). So much for the Sentinel's statement on the revenue paying for the operation and maintenance. This railroad purchase will bleed red ink and will have to steal funds from vital County infrastructure projects.

The Sentiael says the purchase money comes from the State. Only half from Prop. 116. The Sam Farr $1.5 million and a lot of Prop. 116 money has already been spent on high-price laywers and studies. Fact, the RTC is borrowing $10 million from the California Coastal Conservancy and has guaranteed that it will pay it back with STIP money .. which are State funds returned to the County for ANY transportation infrastructure projects (pot holes, sidewalks, bike lanes, etc.) In other words, the RTC has mortgaged the repair of our streets and highways in order to buy a money losing freight line. And they have pulled this off by doing all the negotiations behind closed doors and are proceeding with NO economic or environmental study.

The RTC should be ashamed of this irresponsible behavior. And the Sentinel should be embarrassed for having omitted key facts from its "objective" assessment of this boondoggle.

Robbie, you have a greater insight into this issue than I have. Your comments are extremely important and should have the opportunity to be viewed by all Sentinel readers. I would encourage you to write an Op Ed piece for the Sentinel that they should publish to balance the position that they have taken in their editorial. Your insight illuminates the fallacy of this pipedream.

I just discovered the 11/15 OP ED DRivel by Micah Posner. He truly reflects the weakest thinking that I have seen in any of the collection of wishful thinking and pie in the sky vision of the rail trail advocates. If this boondoggle goes through it will be another banner example of a state/county government system run amok.