Mayor Curtatone's comments on recent Green Line Extension news

[keithn.livejournal.com]

Mayor Curtatone made some comments on Boston Herald Radio regarding the recent troubling news around the Green Line Extension project:

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2015/12/somerville_mayor_confident_rail_plan_due_back_on_track

Thoughts?

Comments

[gingicat]

Well, that's noncommittal.

There's talk of getting the towns to help chip in. This is not popular in Medford, which is purple shading toward magenta.

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

Man, I should know not to read comments, but wow.

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

He says "You know, the news last week, the actions I should say, a few days ago, were as expected.", which means he'd been given advance warning of the action.

As for trying to get either local businesses or the towns to kick in, that seems very difficult, as none have an existing obligation. (And we're talking about a substantial fraction of a billion dollars.) Assembly Square was easier, as there was an overall developer who was handling an enormous amount of money (and would be collecting an enormous amount of rent if the project succeeded.) In a project like that, capital expenses for the T can be put in the budget at the beginning.

The whole contretemps makes me wonder if the previous administration was watching the costs and contractors nearly as well as it should have.

Last week's GLX docs

[jlauspitz.livejournal.com]

• ARUP’s Cost Reduction Opportunities

http://mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/Board_Meetings 2015%2012%2009%20GLX%20VE%20MassDOT%20and%20FMC%20Boards%20ISSUE%20FINAL%20copy.pdf

• Resolution of Both Boards on the Green Line

http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/Board_Meetings/BoardsResolutionOnGLX121415.pdf

[jlauspitz.livejournal.com]

ARUP’s Cost Reduction Opportunities http://mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/Board_Meetings/2015%2012%2009%20GLX%20VE%20MassDOT%20and%20FMC%20Boards%20ISSUE%20FINAL%20copy.pdf

Union Square future

[jlauspitz.livejournal.com]

Note that that the ARUP cost reduction memo recommends lopping off the Union Square Green Line spur in favor of a Fitchburg Line commuter rail stop between North Station and Porter.