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David King said TT remains committed to collaborating with Orange County staff to <br /> gather facts and arrive at a decision on which is the best way to go from west Orange County <br /> to Duke Hospital. He said the plan did say express, and this did not come up until after the <br /> transit vote. He said TT is not intending to put a route out there that does not satisfy the <br /> residents. He said this may mean two routes, prioritizing the routes, and doing whatever can <br /> be afforded. <br /> Commissioner McKee said not to prioritize the residents out of their needs. His <br /> understanding from the meeting with Triangle Transit was that the Hwy 70 corridor would be <br /> used, but he is not comfortable that this decision is still holding. He said he understands the <br /> data driven decisions but, with $736,000 for bus services, there is no way to do two routes. He <br /> wants to make sure that the service to residents is a priority. <br /> David King said he thought that is what he said, and he agreed with Commissioner <br /> McKee. He said that TT will work collaboratively with Orange County staff. <br /> Commissioner Price said she agreed with Commissioner McKee. She said not all of <br /> the residents of Mebane and Efland want to go to Duke. Many of them want to get to <br /> Hillsborough and points within Orange County. She asked about the consultants and what is <br /> being spent on them. She pointed out that these are for the light rail, and if there is no <br /> guarantee on getting funding, why would the consultants be needed. <br /> David King said the plan for Durham and Orange County includes a light rail system <br /> and 2.8 miles of that are in Orange County. He said there has been effort to come up with a <br /> way to allocate the cost. He said that in order to compete for federal funds, planning work <br /> must be done to determine how things will fare before entering the long process. He said the <br /> indication is that this project will fare well. He said this light rail looks more productive in all <br /> directions than other systems. He said that moving forward involves the planning and <br /> consultants. He again invited the Board to attend the meeting being held tomorrow. <br /> John Tallmadge said the route from Mebane to Hillsborough to Durham is not the only <br /> service in Northern Orange County. He said that part of the reason for the planning process is <br /> to provide connections within the county and to connect the two counties. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin said the budget form does not have enough information, as <br /> related to transparency. He said administrative costs should be spelled out in the budget, as <br /> well as the personnel line item. He said this line item, as well as the consultant line item, <br /> should be itemized out to detail who and what it covers. He said the consultant line item is <br /> large and there should be a breakdown of who these consultants are. <br /> Commissioner Gordon asked for insight and refinement on how the $30-60 million in <br /> costs will be rolled out in the next couple of years. She asked for the costs of the 4 month and <br /> the 24 month process and what is done at the end of the process. <br /> David King said by the end of this year TT hopes to have a draft environmental impact <br /> statement. He hopes to look at the distance between the draft statement and the record of <br /> decision and see a 20 month period. He said this will leave a 4 month cushion, versus a 24 <br /> month time clock. He said the cost to get to the draft environmental impact statement is $5.8 <br /> million, and this will take it to the end of the year. He said, to finish from that point, is <br /> estimated to cost no more than $30 million. He said that among the things to be done are: <br /> making a decision on where to have terminal station at UNC; how to negotiate Meadowmont; <br /> how to cross New Hope Creek; and how to pass by the west side of Erwin Road. He said TT <br /> then has to work with N.C. Railroad Corridor. He said these are some of the things that the <br /> consultants will be doing, and he said any other budget feedback is welcomed. <br /> Commissioner Gordon said $6 million seems like a lot of money compared with the <br /> costs for the bus system, and she asked for an explanation of why there is a $6 million spread <br /> in the estimate. <br />