Rail on Main Street

As part of the settlement to build Legacy Highway the State agreed to study transit options in South Davis County.  A few years ago UTA completed a study that included running a light rail or streetcar line down Main Street in Bountiful and Centerville.  The study involved narrowing a universe of transit options down to a short list then to the "Locally Preferred Alternative."  The alternative that the study determined to be the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) was the low cost rail (streetcar or light rail vehicle).  As part of several open houses, UTA heard from the public regarding the LPA.  The overwhelming message coming from Centerville residents was, "No Rail on Main Street."  In March 2010, Centerville City issued a letter that said it was not endorsing streetcars on Main Street.

I don't believe streetcars or any other kind of rail is appropriate for Main Street in Centerville.  The potential advantages definitely do not outweigh the questions, problems and concerns.  For example, according the the UTA study the current bus line (Route 470) takes approximately 34 minutes to travel from Parrish Lane to Salt Lake City.  The streetcar option would take an estimated 31 minutes.  That's right a savings of 3 minutes.  A ride on the street car would certainly cost more than a ride on the bus, but you'd only save 3 minutes?  Which makes the assumption that ridership would more than double hard to believe.

It is highly unlikely that we'll see any rail on Main Street any time soon.  The City doesn't want it, residents don't want it, and we certainly don't need it.  I would like to see UTA expand bus service through South Davis County.  The recent trend seems to be cutting back on bus service significantly.  UTA will insist that the bus routes were cut because demand was down.  I contend that demand decreases because it no longer becomes convenient for people to take the bus, and they simply drive to their destination.  The result is pretty circular.

I will be vigilant to ensure streetcars, or any other form of rail, that are not acceptable to the residents of Centerville will not find their way down Main Street.

UTOPIA

UTOPIA is definitely one topic that gets a lot of Centerville residents talking.  It certainly is an interesting subject, as well as complex, and sometimes heated.

So what is UTOPIA?  The Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency was created when 16 cities joined together to create a fiber optic network.  Centerville and the other pledging UTOPIA cities have agreed to set aside sales tax revenue to cover the costs of UTOPIA if subscriber revenue is insufficient.  According to UTOPIA's own website the benefit of UTOPIA is fiber directly to your home.  You don't have to share bandwidth with neighbors and you get lightning fast speeds.

Sounds great right?  Except that UTOPIA has not performed even close to how it was originally presented.  UTOPIA was plagued with problems and financial challenges early on and had to completely halt construction in 2007.  Lately, we've seen action on the UTOPIA construction front thanks to an Economic Stimulus Grant made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  UTOPIA is currently soliciting subscribers in Centerville with a projected launch this fall.

So what should the City do about UTOPIA?  Centerville is committed to UTOPIA.  That decision was made years ago when sales tax revenue was pledged to support UTOPIA bonds.  We've long since passed the point of no return.  If we were to decide to get out of UTOPIA now we'd still be on the hook for sales tax revenues to support the bonds, but would guarantee ourselves a partially constructed network.  Centerville needs to get as much out of UTOPIA as we can without pledging any more.  We need to make sure the financial and operational management of UTOPIA produce profitability sooner rather than later (or never).  We need to promote UTOPIA.

As I said, we're already committed to UTOPIA.  Let's use it as a tool to attract quality businesses to the City.  We need to leverage off of UTOPIA to bring jobs and economic development, and give citizens the opportunity to work in Centerville.

In a nutshell, I'm hoping Centerville can benefit from UTOPIA and take the lemons we've been given and make lemonade.

Let's get down to business

I had a good chat today with an active resident of Centerville.  We talked about most of the key issues facing the city these days.  I enjoy listening and sharing ideas about how different issues and opportunities could and should be handled.  Over the next few days I'll share my ideas and views on the following topics:

• UTOPIA
• Rail Line on Main Street
• Foothills Management
• West Side Development
• Fees and Taxes
• Other topics that come up

This certainly isn't a comprehensive list of what's going on in Centerville, but it's a good place to start.  Are there particular issues you'd like me to address?  Let me know.

It's Official!

My name is Kevin Daly and I'm running for Centerville City Council.

Centerville, Utah is a great place to live.  We have great schools, great businesses, very few serious problems, and there's a real sense of community here.  Centerville has a lot to offer without feeling too big, too crowded and too busy.

I want to serve as a Centerville City Councilman to make sure we continue with the great history and foundation we've enjoyed for so long now.  I have a strong financial background that will allow me to ensure Centerville is run in a fiscally conservative and responsible manner.  I listen to residents to understand key concerns and I'm able to effectively communicate those to anyone who will listen.

I look forward to sharing in more detail my thoughts about Centerville, the issues we face, and the opportunities ahead.