[pathfriends-active] Gov. Patrick delays the Green Line and puts the funding at risk - this will impact the Community Path

[Karen Molloy]

You might have seen some local media coverage this week about how the
Governor is delaying the Green Line Extension and putting the funding
for the project at risk. (So far coverage has been in the Boston
Globe, Metro, WBUR, Somerville Journal, BostonNOW.)

Note that completion of the Community Path depends on teh Green Line
Extension to Medford.

If you'd like to let him know how you feel about that, see the info
below, followed by how to contact the Governor, followed by the Op-Ed
that appears in the latest Somerville Journal.

-Karen Molloy

===============================
Tell the Governor to put the Green Line extensions back on schedule!

This week the governor announced his plan for $12 billion in the FY 08
capital budget expenditures following a meeting last week with our
legislative delegation.  Read the Op Ed below that will appear in the
Somerville Journal on Thursday to see how the Governor and
transportation secretary are reneging on this legally mandated agreement
to build the Green Line by 2014 with state funding.  The transportation
secretary outlined a revised timeline that would at best delay the
project until 2016 using federal "New Starts" funding for 50% of the
project cost.  There are no guarantees that this funding can be secured
for the Green Line.

Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership (STEP) does not think
this is acceptable.  If you agree it is very important that you let
Governor Patrick know that these promises are not good enough.  He
should honor the legal commitment and move forward so we can
be riding the Green Line through Somerville in 2014.

With all this media attention about the Green Line funding mess, let's
all contact the Governor's office within the next couple of days by
phone or email:

-Call the Governor's office at 617-725-1100 and ask for Richard
Chacon's office and tell him what you think.

Or...

- Email the Governor by going to his website www.mass.gov then click
on Governor Deval Patrick, then go to Constituent Services and select
Contact Governor's Office. You can then go to the Email Form to send
your comments.

(Example:  I'm going to say: "Hello, my name is Karen Molloy.  I am a Somerville
resident.  I voted for Governor Patrick in the last election and
supported his campaign, and I will vote in the next gubernatorial
election. I was shocked and saddened to hear that the Governor is not
planning to live up to the commitment to fully fund the Green Line
with state funds and that he is planning to push the project back to
2016.  Can you tell him this is absolutely unacceptable? )

The STEP website (www.somervillestep.org) will post up to date
information about what is happening with the Green Line.  Also please
SAVE THE DATE of September 6th to attend a hearing on the State
Improvement Plan (SIP) federal
Clean Air Act legal commitments (which the Green Line is) that will be
held at the Department of Environmental Protection.  STEP will provide
more detailed information about the hearing and where you can also send
written comments next week.

Your participation in getting the project moving forward have been
successful over the past few years, now we need to make sure that
Governor Patrick  doesn't renege on the commitment.

****** Op-Ed in today's Somerville Journal *******
Governor Patrick thinks Somerville can wait a few more years for the
Green Line. We can't wait and want to make sure that the Governor knows
we won't!

Last week, Governor Deval Patrick met with Somerville's legislators and
let them know that, for now, extending the Green Line is not on his
priority list.  In a stunning and unfortunate move, Governor Patrick and
his Transportation Secretary, Bernard Cohen, propose delaying completion
of the Green Line until at least December, 2016.

Worse, the Governor's team suggested that the state will renege on its
commitment to fully fund the $800 million to construct the Green Line
from state funds.  Instead they are hoping to get half of the money from
highly competitive federal programs for the Green Line.  The Governor
plans to hit the same federal funds for the Silver Line Phase Three
project in Boston and the Urban Ring; which could sink the Green Line
application, putting it at the bottom of the list.  In short, the future
of the entire Green Line extension is in jeopardy.

This is completely unacceptable, especially when, at the same time, the
Governor has given the green light -- and critical funding -- for
immediate progress on many other construction projects around the state,
even though they are not federal Clean Air Act priorities.  The Governor
released his $12 billion capital investment plan on Monday, August 6.
It included $20 million in FY08 to begin addressing the so-called State
Implementation Plan, or "SIP" commitments, which are the legally
mandated projects. These projects include improvements to the Fairmount
commuter rail, the Green Line extension to Medford, a Red-Blue Line
connector study, and the creation of 1,000 new parking spaces at transit
nodes."  If you do the math, you can see that the $20 million to be
spent on the four SIP projects is only 2.5% of the funding needed just
to construct the Green Line. Somerville deserves better.

The Governor and the Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works
must believe that Somerville residents have very short memories or do
not really care about the promised Green Line extensions. They also must
think that they really do not need to honor the legal commitment made by
the Commonwealth in the revised SIP in November, 2006. They are wrong on
both counts.

Somerville residents overwhelmingly want the Green Line extensions to be
built ON TIME. We also voted overwhelmingly to elect Governor Patrick,
confident that he would want to finally address Somerville's
transportation and environmental health burdens by honoring the SIP
legal commitment to complete the Green Line extensions by 2014.  Many
Somerville elected officials were early supporters of the governor, and
many worked very hard on his behalf.

Everyone in Somerville knows that the facts are clearly on our side:
there is no area in Massachusetts with a stronger claim to invest in
improving public transportation than Somerville, and no other project
can achieve better results per dollar, in terms of economic development,
reduced traffic, improved quality of life, and reduced
air-pollution-linked health problems.

The governor has a clear responsibility to address the transportation
and environmental burdens that we have endured for years.  Somerville is
the most densely populated city in New England.  250,000 vehicles and
200 diesel commuter and freight trains drive through our small city
every day.  Our median household incomes are approximately $35,000.  We
have the second highest concentration of immigrants after Chelsea.  We
have about 5,000 carless residents per square mile seeking convenient
transportation to jobs.  29% percent of city residents rely on public
transportation -mostly provided by unreliable diesel buses.

We have been very patient up to now -accepting a delay for the Green
Line until 2014 despite an original agreement in 1990 that was revised
in 2000 promising completion by 2011.   Now, enough is enough.   Wishing
for federal funding that may allow completion of the Green Line in 2016
is not acceptable.

There is still time for the Governor to change his mind and act swiftly
to get the Green Line project fully funded and back on track -- but only
if Somerville residents let the Governor know that he must.

Please join us in calling the Governor's office at 617-725-1100 and ask
for Richard Chacon's office.  Say what feels right for you.  For example
I'm going to say: "Hello, my name is Ellin Reisner.  I am a Somerville
resident.  I voted and volunteered in the last election for Governor
Patrick, and I will vote in the next election.  I was shocked and
saddened to hear that the Governor is not planning to live up to the
commitment to fully fund the Green Line with state funds and that he is
planning to push the project back to 2016.  Can you tell him this is
absolutely unacceptable?  You can also make your feelings known.

Governor Patrick thinks Somerville can wait a few more years for the
Green Line - If you disagree call the Governor's office and give them a
piece of mind like we plan to do. If we all make calls and send letters,
there is still time to change his mind. Remember, TOGETHER, WE CAN.

Ellin Reisner, President of Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership (STEP)
www.somervillestep.org