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Pullman Square
only a shadow of Original Intermodal Plan
Foi you by Art Harvath, Citizen, Activist, Veteran
It seems more and more that what was to be part of the Intermodal Facility
at Pullman Square is disappearing, with the money that was to go into
the IMF being spent elsewhere. Asking public officials any financial question
about the Pullman project is of no use.
After long study, a picture is starting to emerge as to what’s going
on with the Pullman Square project and where the money is being spent.
A good place to start is looking at the elements that make up the Grant
Application to the Federal Transit Administration.
It’s known the Transit Museum won’t be built, and TTA knew the
funds weren’t there at the end of the year 2000, but there seems
to be some confusion between The Transit Authority general manager Vickie
Shaffer and Metropolitan Huntington developer Tim Rollins.
When asked at the April 19th city council work session if the museum would
be built, Rollins said “we may have space for additional Transit
Museum pieces.”
When Shaffer was asked at the April 22nd special call meeting if the Transit
Museum would be built her answer was a simple “no.”
The shuttle bus system was built up as the center piece of the grant application.
TTA told the Federal Transit Administration in the grant application that
“the purpose of the project is to provide seamless intermodal transfers
between and among the transit system regular bus route.” In the grant
TTA allocated about $1.7 million to purchase the six buses, and $1 million
for “mobile fair collection equipment.”
A TTA study projects the cost of the shuttle bus system to be between
$950,000 and $1.5 million using 1998 labor costs, etc. No public funds
can be used to maintain and operate the system. The money is to come from
rentals/leasing of the commercial part of the project (from the developer).
At the April 22nd council meeting Shaffer said that the developer’s
contribution to the shuttle bus system will be $450,000 and has been from
the start of the project.
In the summer of 1999 it was TTA’s belief that the shuttle bus system
wouldn’t work in Huntington, and TTA also knew it was very low on
the developer’s list of priorities.
This may explain the $450,000 figure to maintain and operate the shuttle
bus system instead of the projected $950,000-$1.5 million per year that
is really needed.
In the FTA grant, TTA said that a total of 1100 parking spaces would be
built. Shaffer recently told this reporter that one level of one garage
was not going to be built, so that’s not a correct figure.
TTA stated in the grant application that the “Intermodal Facility
will be designed to transcend an adjacent flood wall both physically and
visually, and will further enhance the tie between the downtown and the
Harris River Front Park and the Ohio River.”
Now, both Rollins and Shaffer are saying that the connection to the river
might be built if funds are available. It was decided almost a year ago
not to build the connection to the river. Also, why Rollins would be involved
in this decision in spending grant funds is puzzling.
TTA also pointed out the importance of including child care facilities
for parents who will be working in the Central Business District and who
will use the shuttle bus. This is a part of FTA philosophy.
However, no child care center has been mentioned by Rollins or TTA to
date. Also part of the grant was the mention of a possible indoor-outdoor
market place for locally owned small businesses. Again, this has not been
mentioned as part of the project.
It seems that the majority of TTA’s reasons in applying for the grant
will not become a reality.
Yes, the parking garages will be built. And yes, initially the shuttle
bus service will be working. How long it can operate on less than half
of the calculated costs is unknown.
Where is the money going that was supposed to go into these parts of the
IMF? When asked this question at the April 22nd council meeting, Shaffer
said “negotiations, negotiations, negotiations.” She offered
no other explanation.
It would be proper for Vickie Shaffer and Tim Rollins to hold a press
conference and give the media a chance to ask the questions that need
to be answered.
A possible total of almost $42 million dollars of tax payers money is
going into this project, and the public officials involved must realized
that they have a responsibility to the citizens of Huntington to answer
questions about how this money is being spent. It is arrogant on their
part to think otherwise.
