Agenda - 04-04-2017 - 8-a - Minutes

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9 1 Tony Blake referred to a handout, and said the proposed plan will not serve the lower 2 income residents, and will not be affordable. He said there must be a better plan that serves 3 the people paying for it, not only those who can afford to live close to it. 4 Ken Larsen shared concerns about at grade light rail crossings. He said there are 40 5 sections of the LRT that are at-grade, with about half of these being crossings. He said this will 6 occur 150 times per day at each of the at-grade crossings, which will exacerbate traffic. 7 Lisa Kayle said it is a different world with President Trump in office. She said this is a 8 war on public transportation, and the LRT may well not receive federal funding. She said if this 9 happens, Orange County will still be on the hook for millions of dollars for engineering costs for 10 nothing. She said even more time will have been wasted in not putting effort into a realistic 11 transportation plan. She said to take all of this into consideration. 12 Dave Laudicina said he is grateful that the BOCC and the residents have voted to 13 participate in regional rail with their surrounding counties. He said there are existing railroad 14 tracks that can be used. He said he is supportive of regional rail, LRT, and bus rapid transit. 15 Lisa Brach said there are assumptions that light rail will reduce congestion and add 16 more transit options to all in Orange County, and these are just not true. She said she has 17 concerns and is not in support of it. 18 Neal Bench is a Chapel Hill resident and said he is impressed with all of the previous 19 speakers and their research. He said he voted for the transit tax, but he hoped there would be 20 significant improvement in the bus service along with the rail. He said he is concerned about 21 the costs with overruns, debt, etc. He said the operating costs are not certain and wonders who 22 picks up any of these extra costs. He would like this project discontinued at this time, and 23 recommends moving to one with more flexible transit options. He said the County has many 24 other needs that already cannot be met, and continuing with this project is unwise. 25 Ramona McGee said she is an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center 26 (SELC), which has advocated for this light rail project. She encouraged the BOCC to continue 27 supporting this project. 28 Rachel Hawkins said she is speaking on behalf of the Schley Grange, who supports the 29 goal of providing transportation in Orange County but they cannot support this current plan. 30 Molly DeMarco said she is a daily transit rider. She said she will ride the light rail and 31 she is in support of a comprehensive transit plan, with increased bus service, a railroad station 32 in Hillsborough, and light rail. 33 Bishop Victor Glover said he is with Fathers on the Move, a local non-profit that works 34 with men transitioning into life after prison. He said there are a lot of other resources in Orange 35 County, but transportation is a very important piece of successful transition for these men. He 36 asked the BOCC to insure that all residents have good public transportation in Orange County. 37 Sheila Creth said she lives in a congested area in Chapel Hill that will not be relieved by 38 light rail. She said she has concerns about this whole process and GoTriangle's misleading 39 and confusing information. She petitioned the Board of County Commissioners to take the 40 time for discussion and a public hearing on this plan, prior to making any discussions. 41 John Morris said the BOCC is being pressured tonight to make big decisions without full 42 information and enough time. He said GoTriangle created these current problems. He shared 43 his concerns about the light rail plan. He expressed support for a public hearing after the 44 BOCC has received the results of its independent analysis. 45 Joan Guilkey said their dream of light rail has become a nightmare, and costs will fall to 46 the taxpayers in Orange County with the train not starting until 2029. She voted for the transit 47 tax in 2012, but she did not vote for what is proposed now. She expressed support for the 48 Board of County Commissioners holding a public hearing. 49 Shannon Stephenson said Aldersgate UMC is at the end of their neighborhood, and it 50 will not exist if light rail is put in. She said her neighborhood is in the bull's eye, and while they