INC NEWS - ATT bridge over I-40: your voice matters

[Melissa Rooney]

Hello. Please read the following message and consider
contacting city council (before Monday) about funding
the ATT bridge over I-40. This would greatly improve
pedestrian and bike accessibility to the shops and
services surrounding Southpoint Mall, thereby being a
step towards the recently passed Green House Gas plan
and Durham's commitment to pedestrian accessibility.

Thanks!
Melissa

_______________________


Greetings, all

Below is a rather lengthy message from Triangle Rails
to Trails which gives the background on an urgent vote
that the Durham City Council plans to take on Monday
evening that will determine funding for building the
long awaited American Tobacco Trail pedestrian bridge
over I-40. In a nutshell, the issue is whether to use
some available funding for the bridge, or to set it
aside for Americans with Disabilities Act improvements
on other city projects.  Please give this some thought
and consider weighing in on this issue.


======================================================================================

Hi Friends of the American Tobacco Trail,

First off, thanks to all of you who joined the
standing room only crowd of 110+ at the November 13
meeting to discuss the American Tobacco Trail Bridge
over I-40.  Thanks also to those who have commented on
the bridge at the survey website. Thank you all for
showing your interest and support for this important
project. It has made a difference.

But again, we need your help - right now - on the
American Tobacco Trail Bridge over I-40 as well as
completion of the rest of the trail in Durham.

Last Wednesday, an article, copied at the end of this
message, came out in the Durham Herald-Sun. If you
choose please read it.

While we've learned that the article overstates some
perceived competition between the ATT I-40 bridge and
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) funding; using
"two thirds" (2/3) bonds would be the quickest and
cheapest ways to complete the needed funding for the
bridge and keep the project on track. As we've
mentioned before, time is critical due to inflationary
pressures.

The Durham City Council will vote on which projects to
fund using 2/3 bond proceeds at their meeting next
Monday, December 3.

Please contact Mayor Bell and the six council members,
including Councilman-elect Ali, right now and urge
them to fund the ATT bridge.  

Please mention at least one or more of the reasons why
the continuation and connection of the trail is
important to you. It might be access to the mall, or
downtown Durham. It might be an easier commute to
work, play, school or church, or simply that you want
to walk, ride or roll, on some new trail! Any reason
important to you is fine.

Please urge the Council to fund the ATT bridge now
because we've come too far to stop now and have the
project stall. It has been stalled long enough! With
construction costs rising daily, we need to also
remind the council to do everything it can to ensure
that we have a final cost and design for Phase E ASAP.

You can send an email to all Council members at:
council at ci.durham.nc.us

Mr. Ali can be emailed at: info at faradali.com

You can also call (919) 560-4396 and leave a voice
mail.

Another project that many of you will want to also ask
the Council to include in funding is replacement of
old, closed, unsafe pedestrian bridge over NC 147
(Durham Freeway) just east of downtown Durham. If you
like, please mention this in your note or phone call.

Many of you see this rusting green eyesore when
driving through Durham. When built there were high
hopes that this bridge would connect neighborhoods
split by the construction of NC 147. However its
poorly designed retrofit - meant to prevent objects
from being thrown onto the highway below - walled off
the bridge inside creating a near tunnel for users.
Because of safety concerns about the retrofitted
bridge, it was closed off to foot traffic several
years ago, and it remains rusting and unused.

A new bridge has been designed and is ready to go. But
when bids came in, it was significantly underfunded.
The current funds will expire soon. The 2/3's bonds
can make up the difference in these funds so that this
replacement bridge - of modern and safe design - can
finally be built. Please inform City Council that you
want to see this bridge built soon!

And it would be most effective if people would come to
the Council meeting on December 3 and sign up to speak
in support of the ATT and/or NC 147 bridges. You can
find the agenda here, but at this writing, it hasn't
been posted yet.

If you can make the time to come and speak in support
of the American Tobacco Trail bridge, and that 2/3's
bonds are a good way to make up the budget shortfall,
this will show the council and the public how
important the bridge over I-40 and the American
Tobacco Trail itself, is to Durham, the Triangle and
beyond.

But again, please send your message right now to
Durham City Council members at:
council at ci.durham.nc.us and info at faradali.com or (919)
560-4396 .

If you have any questions with this reuest, please
contact Bill Bussey 919 545-9104 or Dan Clever 919
286-3827 (H)

Thank you again for your support of the American
Tobacco Trail.

Happy Trails,

Dan Clever
Bill Bussey
Triangle Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
www.triangletrails.org


Council members debate spending of 'two-thirds' bonds
Some prefer new bridge, others favor ADA changes

By Ray Gronberg gronberg at heraldsun.com; 419-6648
The Herald-Sun
Wednesday November 21, 2007

DURHAM -- An upcoming move by the city to issue $12.3
million in special bonds is setting up a fight between
City Council members about how to use the money.

Administrators figure on using the bulk of it for a
series of essential-but-low-profile initiatives, and
also want to use part to put a scheduled renovation of
the Durham Armory back on track.

But at least three council members -- Mike Woodard,
Diane Catotti and Eugene Brown -- also want officials
to use part of the money to help pay for a new bridge
over Interstate 40 near The Streets at Southpoint to
carry the American Tobacco Trail over the highway.

The city has lined up $4.9 million in financing for
the bridge but is still $1.5 million short of being
able to build it.

Supporters of tapping the so-called "two-thirds" bonds
for the project say officials need to get the bridge
going soon or risk having inflation erode the value of
the state and federal contributions they've secured
for it in years past.

"I don't want this bridge to become the bridge of
empty promises or the bridge of rhetoric," Brown said,
noting that the project is supposed to fill the last
major gap in the trail.

But City Manager Patrick Baker and his staff, after
consulting city department heads, elected not to
include money for the bridge in the plan they've
offered for spending the two-thirds bonds.

After a council debate Tuesday, it appeared the choice
could come down to funding the bridge or setting up
$1.5 million in reserves to fund Americans With
Disabilities Act-mandated improvements tied to other
city projects.

Administrators said the reserves also would be an
inflation hedge. That could help the council avoid
trade-offs such as the one it faced in October when
expected cost overruns for the Armory renovation
forced a delay of that project.

The reserve isn't tied to any specific project.
Instead it would "supplement the budgets of other
projects that aren't sufficiently funded that we might
need funds for to do the ADA component," said Julie
Brenman, assistant city manager for budget and
strategic initiatives.

Supporters of the allocation noted that the city is
facing a U.S. Department of Justice edict to complete
a series of ADA-related improvements.

Councilwoman Cora Cole-McFadden said she wouldn't
support any diversion of the money Brenman and Baker
have earmarked for ADA work.

"I used to work here and I saw how monies associated
with ADA showed up in a pot for luxuries," she said,
referring to her pre-retirement service as a city
department director.

The council is having the debate because state law
allows city governments to issue new debt, without
voter permission, as they pay off old bonds. The
phrase "two-thirds bonds" refers to the state's
stipulation that an issuing city can only issue $2 in
new debt for every $3 in existing debt it's retiring.

That restriction, assuming normal economic conditions,
is supposed to make sure a city's overall debt-service
burden falls unless officials ask voters for fresh
borrowing authority.

Council members are scheduled to renew the debate next
month. Mayor Bill Bell was absent for Tuesday's meeting.


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