Suttle talks about street cars.

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Suttle talks about street cars.

Post by guest1 »

In an interview with KMTV, Suttle called the streetcar the "O Line" and that that's what we ought to be calling it...but of course saying we need to address how to pay for it, but doesnt give any ideas
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justnick
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Post by justnick »

Can we drop the |expletive| "O!" meme already?
Seriously needs to die already.

As for Suttle, at least it's still being talked about no matter what the idjits sayin' I want my stupid streetcar.
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S33
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Post by S33 »

justnick wrote:Can we drop the |expletive| "O!" meme already?
Seriously needs to die already.

As for Suttle, at least it's still being talked about no matter what the idjits sayin' I want my stupid streetcar.
Expect him to mention here and there to give the impression its an issue he is even remotely entertaining, when in fact, I seriously doubt he is.
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Post by Guest »

justnick wrote:Can we drop the |expletive| "O!" meme already?
Seriously needs to die already.

As for Suttle, at least it's still being talked about no matter what the idjits sayin' I want my stupid streetcar.
The name is perfect for Omaha.

I doubt we get a street car while Suttle is around.
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Post by icejammer »

Let's be honest, it doesn't matter who is in the Mayor's office, this won't fly until City revenues increase substantially and the City's bond rating gets back to AAA.
"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

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StreetsOfOmaha
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

Unless privately funded...
"The right to have access to every building in the city by private motorcar in an age when everyone possesses such a vehicle is actually the right to destroy the city."
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Post by icejammer »

Private funding isn't going to carry this project forward.
"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

--William Jennings Bryan
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

Oh, if you say so.
"The right to have access to every building in the city by private motorcar in an age when everyone possesses such a vehicle is actually the right to destroy the city."
Lewis Mumford, The Highway and the City, 1963
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Post by mrdwhsr »

icejammer wrote:Private funding isn't going to carry this project forward.
Maybe if I win $180mil in the lottery. Send lotto tickets. :shock:
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Post by icejammer »

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:Oh, if you say so.
If you know who has the dough to plop down on this right now, I'm sure we'd all be very happy to write letters of encouragement to them to speed the process along.
"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

--William Jennings Bryan
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Post by almighty_tuna »

most accurate thread title, evar.
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Post by Guest »

How many privately funding street car lines are there anyway??

I cannot imagine any kind of decent ROI on such a venture... unless the investors already owned the surrounding property as well.  Projects like this are reserved for public dollars... you know, the type which don't make money.
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

Look at all the big family names on cultural institutions in Omaha; Holland, Lauritzen, Lied, Scott, etc. Did these philanthropists expect a return on their investment? No. They knew that their contributions would create an asset for the entire community.

I'm not saying it will happen.

Anyway, it's not like there isn't historical precedent. Most streetcar lines in this country used to be operated by for profit companies. Same with railways and airlines.
"The right to have access to every building in the city by private motorcar in an age when everyone possesses such a vehicle is actually the right to destroy the city."
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Post by mrdwhsr »

Anonymous wrote:How many privately funding street car lines are there anyway??

I cannot imagine any kind of decent ROI on such a venture... unless the investors already owned the surrounding property as well.  Projects like this are reserved for public dollars... you know, the type which don't make money.
       Historically public transit, street-car and bus, were operated by private for-profit companies (just like airlines, railroads). Some companies made a profit, some went bankrupt (like the airlines). There were a few exceptions: San Francisco, Fort Collins Colorado. Government operation of public transit did not become the rule until after 1960...when working and middle class families were buying a 2nd car, shopping moved from downtown to the suburban mall (like Crossroads  :) ) and nobody was left to ride the bus or streetcar except during rush-hour. As transit fares dropped, the private companies cut costs. When there were no more costs to be cut it was a choice of no-transit or government run transit with "subsidies".  

There were other contributions to the end of privately owned / profit oriented public transit (surly bus drivers who didn't like kids...), the 'hidden' subsidies for the automobile (the gas tax did not pave city streets, pavement on many streets was paid for by the streetcar company), but by and large privately owned public transit ended with the two-car family.

BTW - many government transit agencies contract with private companies for operations and maintenance.
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Post by Big E »

mrdwhsr wrote:There were other contributions to the end of privately owned / profit oriented public transit
Like car manufacturers buying them and shutting them down.
Stable genius.
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Post by UNOstudent »

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Post by omahahawk »

Found this interesting note in an article about the bond agencies liking the tax hike.  Could it possibly be?.....................

On Monday, the city plans to gauge investor interest in $18.6 million of general obligation bonds, according to the mayor's statement. Neither the release nor city officials specified what those bonds would cover.

http://omaha.com/article/20090924/NEWS01/709249870
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Post by OSRC »

Thats not nearly enough to start anything significant...more likely to cover the $11 million shortfall that's expected for the rest of the year plus extra just in case

....unless they want to do another study
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Post by S33 »

OSRC wrote:Thats not nearly enough to start anything significant...more likely to cover the $11 million shortfall that's expected for the rest of the year plus extra just in case

....unless they want to do another study
Lol, cover a budget shortfall with a bond? We should just lend the city our credit cards...
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Post by mrdwhsr »

omahahawk wrote:Found this interesting note in an article about the bond agencies liking the tax hike.  Could it possibly be?.....................

On Monday, the city plans to gauge investor interest in $18.6 million of general obligation bonds, according to the mayor's statement. Neither the release nor city officials specified what those bonds would cover.

http://omaha.com/article/20090924/NEWS01/709249870

     My guess would be these bonds will fund road construction for 2010. The Blondo and 132nd Street widening projects were funded with general obligation bonds. I just love the way westbound Blondo backs up from 144th all the way to 132nd when local radio announces accidents on Dodge at 5 O'clock rush.


There is an article in the OWH about Suttle asking the Unicameral for a hike in city sales tax to cover police and fire pension shortfalls. The $45m estimate in the amount the tax will bring in is way beyond what is needed for pension. The streetcar could be funded out of the surplus...after more studies of course   :roll:
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

UNOstudent wrote:video - Taken for a Ride

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... ide&hl=en#
Thanks for posting this. I just watched it and really enjoyed it, though it is very dated. I'm happy to say that we've come a long way from the time that documentary was made, and the outlook continues to become brighter and brighter for public transportation in the US.
"The right to have access to every building in the city by private motorcar in an age when everyone possesses such a vehicle is actually the right to destroy the city."
Lewis Mumford, The Highway and the City, 1963
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Post by Coyote »

Suttle sidetracked, but undeterred
Maggie O'Brien world-herald staff writer wrote:With a tumultuous first year behind him, Suttle says his major priorities for the rest of his four-year term will be creating jobs and resolving the city's financial challenges. “You don't run from problems,” he said. “You face them.” And he's thinking about his legacy, saying he hopes to be the mayor who succeeds in bringing streetcars to Omaha.

Suttle has hired a public relations firm to promote Omaha streetcars and a Washington lobbyist to help secure federal funding. Bringing streetcars to Omaha probably would cost between $200 million and $250 million but could mean $1 billion in economic development, Suttle has said. The time is now for streetcars, he said, despite the city's troubled finances. If Omaha doesn't invest in the future, he said, “we might as well turn out the lights on the city.”
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Post by Skersy »

I think everyone is forgetting that funding for a project like streetcars is securing federal funds that usually pays for about 90% of the project. So the City of Omaha would be looking at about a $20-$25 million dollar commitment to a project like this....Thats why Suttle is pushing so hard for this because he sees it as a $20 million investment that will bring in $1 billion in private development around it. I also think he's pushing hard for it to have something linked to his four year legacy because there is no way that guy is going to get another four year term.

I think this would be a great thing for Omaha but it sounds like we are in a lot of competition with other cities for federal funding on this type of project so the cards are stacked against us. Yes there are budget concerns going on right now but finding $20 million won't be as hard as you think to find in this city. Its the same thing you seen happen with Fahey and the baseball park. Its amazing the amount of connections with Fahey, Creighton and friends of his that jumped on all the property around the stadium before it was publicly announced and also the millions of private dollars that they found to get that project off the ground. Do I care that it happened, no because truly it happens everywhere in this country.
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