Grant for Rail Trail awarded to city / LJWorld.com

Archive for Saturday, June 7, 2008

A grant could bring a long-discussed bike trail to east Lawrence.

June 7, 2008

The city has been awarded a $500,000 grant to build the long-discussed Burroughs Creek Rail Trail through eastern Lawrence.

But now, city commissioners must decide whether the city can afford the more than $350,000 in local funds that will be required to match the Kansas Department of Transportation grant.

The project consists of a 10-foot-wide, concrete walking and biking trail between 11th and 23rd streets along an abandoned railroad corridor just west of Haskell Avenue.

The city has estimated its share of construction costs at $345,900, but that does not include property acquisition costs. An estimate on those costs hasn't been finalized. Commissioners likely will discuss the project as part of their 2009 budget deliberations this summer.

Discussion

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7 June 2008
at 6:16 a.m.

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northtown (Anonymous) says…

Just about half of the cost for a new firetruck,What is more important,Fire Protection or another trail????
7 June 2008
at 7:23 a.m.

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grimpeur (Anonymous) says…

TIFs for private development of foam buildings are not needed.Bonuses for timely Kasold construction, when we have ever right to expect timely completion anyway, are not needed.Abatements to companies who fail to keep their promises about job creation are not needed.There's your new bike trail and your new fire truck right there.
7 June 2008
at 7:56 a.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

A grant from the State of Kansas.In other words, tax dollars extorted from the citizenry and given to a City so that City can then further tax its citizens to pave Paradise and put up what is essentially a long parking lot.There are *NO* “grants”!The money comes from someplace, people and that place is *YOU*!How many hours will you work to “earn” the taxes which are used for this nicey-nicey-good-and-oh-so-green project?*YOU* are paying $4 per gallon for gas, soon to be $5 and the Kommission wants to use money already stolen from you based on your earning and then steal more money from you based on taxing even the most basic of necessities; food, clothing, medicine and spend the money on what?A glorified *sidewalk* ?The City of Lawrence is what?; needing to spend $32 million on road repair? How many millions already in debt?The City cannot maintain the roads, cannot fund its fire department, cannot adequetely police the community, cannot keep itself from a bloated beaureaucracy and already “gives” money away like it is nothing but jelly beans and now it wants to spend nearly one million of your hard-earned and extorted dollars on a concrete path so a small special interest group of patchouli smellin' folks can wear their Birkenstocks when they walk, instead real hiking boots.
7 June 2008
at 8:16 a.m.

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johnadavies (Anonymous) says…

I don't really think it should cost this much but on the other hand why bother now that they've built ugly housing almost all of the way along it; not going to be a scenic drive!
7 June 2008
at 8:36 a.m.

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monkeyhawk (Anonymous) says…

“But now, city commissioners must decide whether the city can afford the more than $350,000 in local funds that will be required to match the Kansas Department of Transportation grant.”Of course, the city can afford it. Right after the streets are fixed and the SLT is finished - without a tax increase of any kind. If it was a few years ago, I'm sure that the city would be very willing to dip into the waning reserves to fund this boondoggle that will satisfy the recreational needs of 1/2 of 1% of the population. (Smells like the MT.)Word to the city: start saying no to silly, frivolous “wants” and get down to the basics.
7 June 2008
at 9:23 a.m.

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swan_diver (Anonymous) says…

The funds from KDOT, the Kansas Department of Transportation, are federal monies distributed to the states, from '70s legislation, crafted as payback for the federal largesse in the destruction of America's cities know as 'Urban Renewal,' in the 1950s and '60s. The east-side trail could have gotten a million dollars in KDOT funding from this same program, in 2007 — but the City of Lawrence stabbed the project, neighbohoods, and residents in the back, by failing to support the grant, behind closed doors — allowing the money to fund the reconstruction of brick on the six and seven-hundred blocks of Ohio Street, the most expensive residential real estate in Lawrence's Original Town Site. As you would expect in Bush's America — and its corrupt stepchild here, called 'local governance,' a handful of well-off professionals were rewarded with a government handout — while thousands of working-class residents of the city's east side were left twisting in the breeze.
7 June 2008
at 9:51 a.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

swan_diver;Nice spin but GWB has nothing to do with the corruption of the previous city commission which was controlled by the “Progressives”; hardly a mirror of GWB.

7 June 2008
at 10:22 a.m.

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swan_diver (Anonymous) says…

Marion — I would beg your padon — but GWB, and the corporate class of thieves and traitors who've stolen the nation, under his watch, has everything to do with the sorry state of affairs which exists with the sorry culture of Lawrence governance. The 'progressives' were just incompetent fools. The business and real estate interests which gained control of Lawrence in their wake are part and parcel of the national miasma, under Bush, and GOP rule.
7 June 2008
at 10:24 a.m.

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bearded_gnome (Anonymous) says…

OMG! two amazing things:somebody uses this comment thread to bash Bush…damn, that never happens. and, I actually agree with marion. concrete! and yet sidewalks all through that neighborhood are missing, disreputable, sunk, mud-covered, broken-up, impassible. simon gilmore, of homeless and mentally ill fame downtown, once was quoted in this paper saying that the reason he walked in the street was because with his low vision, it wasn't *safe* to walk were the sidewalks were supposed to be! he was right***we have a traffic safety commission member, part of the leftist fringe that pushed for this concrete monument to waste, who says broken streets serve a useful function as passive traffic calming devices! again, lawrence spends money on frivel, like flowers for downtown, but does not address broken basic infrastructure. ***note, they're trying to get the “open shelter” placed at 13 and oregon. that's right on the new fancy concrete spillway/trail. besides, why concrete? composition like what's on top of the levee, on the path there, works well and I bet it is cooler than concrete on a hot day!good job marion, so they can wear their hippie-dippie shoes instead of real walking boots. you got it.
7 June 2008
at 12:10 p.m.

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BigPrune (Anonymous) says…

It might be more palatable if the trail wasn't named after a drug addicted wife killer who wrote a trippy hippie book.
7 June 2008
at 12:35 p.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

Thanks, BG!
7 June 2008
at 12:52 p.m.

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northtown (Anonymous) says…

Oh Please city commish,just let some junky shoot that apple from your head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7 June 2008
at 3:20 p.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

Northtown:That was an awful thing to write.But funny!;)When they set up this thing, can I have the refreshment stand franchise?
7 June 2008
at 4:16 p.m.

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bearded_gnome (Anonymous) says…

Swan-diver:given the age of some of the sidewalks in that neighborhood, and how long they've been in disrepair, you should actually be blaming:Jimmy Carter!;or LBJ. put down the kool-aid and walk away! you've obviously imbibed waaaaaaaaay too much! *** just think Marion, you could sell refreshments, patchouli, sandals, incense, bongs, and stupid bumperstickers. you could also sell historic maps, maps that showed where the namesake lived, the site of the former livestock aution barn, the location of the first “open shelter” (1147 oregon if memory serves); the location of the proposed new site for the “open shelter;” etc. people will buy out your first thousand maps in the first two or three days! sorry, should read “bong holders” above. of course, you wouldn't be selling wacky tobaccie, now would you?
7 June 2008
at 5:47 p.m.

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swan_diver (Anonymous) says…

Great to see the self-loathing posters here who sleep thru all the tax-payer funded rewards for upper-middle class districts of the city, while working-class neighborhoods get the shaft, year after year. I think the phenomenon is related to that thing where you end up identifying with your captors, in kidnappings.

7 June 2008
at 6:16 p.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

bearded_gnome (Anonymous) says: “sorry, should read “bong holders” above. of course, you wouldn't be selling wacky tobaccie, now would you?”Marion writes:Not unless I could reasonably assure myself that I would not get caught!;)
7 June 2008
at 6:58 p.m.

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Bossa_Nova (Anonymous) says…

i'll support the trail if it's a nudist only trail.
7 June 2008
at 7 p.m.

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Bossa_Nova (Anonymous) says…

if it's a nudist only trail we can build watchtowers that oversee the trail and can set up pay by the minute binoculars which would use the proceeds to pay for the trail. then we would have a well funded trail without tax dollars. who's with me on this?
7 June 2008
at 7:44 p.m.

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toe (Anonymous) says…

This will be the CSI tour trail. Over here, we have a crack house, over here…
7 June 2008
at 9:14 p.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

I want the photo concession!
7 June 2008
at 9:15 p.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

Hey, Cool!We'll go into partnership!”Chiggers'n Pix Are Us”!Woo, Hoo!
7 June 2008
at 9:17 p.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

Hey, just wonderin'…..Since they want to build a cement path, will they put in a cee-ment pond also?
7 June 2008
at 10:11 p.m.

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Godot (Anonymous) says…

Create a benefit district for the neighborhoods near the trail and let them pay for the trail over 10 of 15 years, the same way infrastructure improvements are paid for on the west side of town.

7 June 2008
at 11:19 p.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

Alligators.Put alligators in the cee-ment pond and then let them sun themselves on the cee-ment path in summer, such that walkers and joggers have obstacles which through avoiding them, can help improve thier physical condition.
7 June 2008
at 11:31 p.m.

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bearded_gnome (Anonymous) says…

alligators! lol***if it's a nudist only trail we can build watchtowers that oversee the trail and can set up pay by the minute binoculars which would use the proceeds topay for the trail. then we would have a well funded trail without tax dollars. who's with me on this?—boxxieyou know, most nudists, you'd prefer they were clothed. and, your plan has one flaw. under the americans with disability Act, your facility is discriminatory against the blind, and must make reasonable accomodations. hint, most blind people read braille. ***benefit district? Godot, that presumes that the neighbors *were in favor* of this. I doubt that. this is another boondoggle of the leftist fringe in this town. tax them to support it. I got a great idea, tax pot to support the trail. “chiggers'n pix.” I think I'll open the figleaf concession.
7 June 2008
at 11:34 p.m.

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bearded_gnome (Anonymous) says…

LJWorld.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post.–indeed.
8 June 2008
at midnight

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

Well, maybe we could put little beepers on the 'gators for the “seeing impaired” and rotating yellow lights for the others.Approach a 'gator and the beeper goes off like a backup alarm, you see.You could also have cee-ment gators on the cee-ment path, all painted up green between which the real 'gators might lurk, just to make life more exciting for the walkers and joggers.Now as far as the proposed cee-ment pond goes, I'd suggest maybe stocking with like Northern Snakeheads or Pirhana, just to keep swimmers on their toes, as it were.