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So after years of being told there's 'no money' to fix our roads without tolls, TxDOT drops $350 million subsidy for a foreign-owned toll road out of the sky for Houston area's Grand Pkwy and now $4 million for a bike trail that will cost over $1 million a MILE! Calling it misplaced priorities is too kind, it's piracy of the public treasury!
Bike trail grant is set but city needs $800K in local funds
By Kiah Collier
San Angelo Standard-Times
Originally published 09:56 p.m., June 6, 2011
Updated 10:13 p.m., June 6, 2011
SAN ANGELO, Texas — At its meeting today, the San Angelo City Council will consider accepting a $3.2 million grant from the Texas Department of Transportation that would fund the bulk of the long-awaited "Red Arroyo Shared-Use Pathway Project." The catch is that it must first decide where to come up with $800,000 in local matching funds needed to receive the money.
First conceived during a streak of bike-and-pedestrian planning meetings in 2004, the project calls for a 3.7-mile concrete trail through the Red Arroyo that connects Knickerbocker Road to Sherwood Way. The TxDOT grant, which the city secured in July 2010, would pay for roughly 80 percent of the $4 million project. The city is responsible for the remaining 20 percent.
Doray Hill, interim director of the San Angelo Metropolitan Planning Organization, said it doesn't yet have a dedicated funding source for the match. At today's council meeting, Hill will recommend reallocating funds from three municipal funding pots: $400,000 to $500,000 from the city stormwater department budget, $325,000 half-cent sales tax dollars previously dedicated to the South Concho Park project and $125,000 from "outside or private organizations."
Although the city has until 2014 to pay the match, it must show where it's getting the money when it signs the agreement by the end of July.
"When you execute this agreement, you're saying you have the money," Hill said. "In the event that we don't secure the funds, then we're not going to execute the agreement."
The heads of both city departments have agreed to front funding — letters of support are included in the council agenda packet — and Hill said representatives from private groups interested in making up the difference will be present at the meeting.
In his letter, City Engineer Clinton Bailey said stormwater improvements, including detention ponds, already planned for the area could be integrated into the project.
"If integrated into the proposed Red Arroyo project, these stormwater systems could also serve as pedestrian amenities providing interesting views, community fishing ponds and education centers," Bailey said in the letter.
Hill said the debate may come down not to the reallocation of funds, but another matter: the city will have to pay $10,432 within 30 days of finalizing the agreement. Hill said that could come from the city's general revenue or other sources.
"Those are just more internal details to work out," he said. "I'm sure it's going to be a question of 'Where do you plan on getting the initial down payment from?' We have possible sources."
Even though the city has continued to tighten its belt amid financial challenges — it balanced its budget on a $2.3 million shortfall last year — Hill said the highly vetted project is a priority for the community and he is sure a funding source will be secured.
"This is something the city has been working on for several years, so I'm confident we've got the funding," Hill said.
A city memo says providing the local match would "give the city a unique opportunity to leverage approximately $3.2 million that can be used to develop an area that is underutilized, but has enormous potential."
Hill said the design phase of the project — hailed by many as San Angelo's first major move in becoming an active, modern city — would take several years. Construction on the trail wouldn't begin until 2015, with an estimated completion in 2016 or 2017, he said.
TxDOT transportation enhancement grants have helped fund other local amenities, such as the Santa Fe Depot and the San Angelo Concho River Visitors Center Trail.