| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Politix |
| U.S. Gives Anchorage $1.5M for Bus Stop |
| 2005-05-19 |
| I remember when a bus stop was a pole with a "Bus Stop" sign on it. ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Tom Wilson is faced with a problem many city administrators would envy: How to spend $1.5 million on a bus stop. Spending tax money? Oh, I'll bet he has a problem with it. I'll bet he uses every dime. Wilson, Anchorage's director of public transportation, has all that money for a new and improved bus stop outside the Anchorage Museum of History and Art thanks to Republican Sen. Ted Stevens fondly referred to by Alaskans as "Uncle Ted" for his prodigious ability to secure federal dollars for his home state. We have an "Uncle Ted" here too. But he's the kinda creepy fat slob drunken perv uncle you really don't want to have much to do with... Wilson is prepared to think big. The bus stop there now is a simple steel-and-glass, three-sided enclosure. Wilson wants better lighting and seating. He also likes the idea of heated sidewalks that would remain free of snow and ice. And he thinks electronic signs would be nice. "It is going to be a showpiece stop," Wilson said. It'd better be for 1.5 mil... He acknowledges the money has put him in an awkward position. "We have a senator that gave us that money and I certainly won't want to appear ungrateful," he said. At the same time, he does not want the public to think the city is wasting the money. So "if it only takes us $500,000 to do it, that's what we will spend." Only half a million for a bus stop? What a bargain! That is still five to 50 times the typical cost of bus stop improvements in Anchorage. The money was contained in a $388 billion spending bill passed by Congress last November, when Stevens was head of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Citizens Against Government Waste has ranked Stevens No. 1 every year since it began calculating lawmakers' proficiency at bringing home pork in 2000. In 2005, Stevens brought home more than $645 million, or $984.85 for each Alaskan, the group says. "Everyone suffers for the $1.5 million bus stop," said Scott Kohlhaas, chairman of the Alaska Libertarian Party. "It is a great example of government waste." Ya think? One thing is certain: City and museum officials agree that the bus stop must fit in aesthetically with a museum expansion project that is being funded with $75 million in public and private money. In fact, the museum has offered to help design the bus stop. Oh I'll bet that'll save money. They'll probably need at least a million more. The museum's architects want it to be compatible with the exterior building materials used for the expansion — glass with a pattern that gives the impression of looking through a thin curtain. And they do not want it to spoil the view of the street that museum visitors will have when they stand in what will be a mini-forest of 350 birch trees whose lower branches have been cut away. Make that two million more... If done right, the expanded museum and improved bus stop could anchor a new eastern edge to the downtown area, drawing not only more tourists to the museum but shoppers from a nearby mall and workers from the federal building, said museum director Pat Wolf. That is what Stevens had in mind when he got the $1.5 million, said the senator's spokeswoman Courtney Boone. "It is supposed to be a lot more than a bus stop," she said. "It needs to have a way to smoothly transition all these people." It's a friggin BUS STOP! And Boone said there are good reasons Stevens strives to bring federal dollars to Alaska. For one thing, it is more difficult and costly to build infrastructure in Alaska, she said. "Sen. Stevens does not believe the money that he is able to work diligently to secure at the federal level is pork," she said. "He considers it infrastructure development for a very young state. People seem to forget how young Alaska really is." Okay, AP. Is a million and a half a legit price for an Anchorage bus stop? Waiting for a bus, Ronnie San Ramon imagined what he would do with $1.5 million. With winter still a fresh memory, he suggested making the bus stop fully enclosed and heated. "People in winter are frozen — especially if the bus is late like today," San Ramon said. If there's any money left, maybe they can burn it to stay warm |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #15 actually (sadly) my real-life experience (assuming no environmental concerns = NEPA Categorical Exemption): of $1.5 million, actual design: 100K; PM/massaging: $300K; Construction: $600K - rest - lost in the ether |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-19 21:50 |
| #14 Gotta remember the first million goes to studies and the environmental impact statement. 300k is held for lawyer fees defending the enviromental impact statement. 200k goes to finding homes for the displaced homeless people who live in the existing bus stop. Another 150k is required to design and build the new bus stop. Its much like the old bus stop but without the graffity (for a few weeks). And another 50k is set aside to reassess the properties ajacent to the new bus stop thereby causing the property taxes to increase disproportional to the improvement to the street. Oh, and more money is needed to hire the three shifts of custodians (relatives to the mayor) hired for maintenance of this technologically cutting edge bus stop w/ new improved security lights. That comes to a total of 1.7 mil plus yearly expenses. Well worth the few dollars because its "For The Children". |
| Posted by: BrerRabbit 2005-05-19 20:10 |
| #13 watch the sealions take it over - the Pinniped/Sea Mammal act won't let you move em. They'd soak up that heated sidewalk bizness |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-19 18:03 |
| #12 ...But it's a really nice bus stop! |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-05-19 17:34 |
| #11 Hmmm...how about an interstate in Hawaii? Trick question? |
| Posted by: Don 2005-05-19 17:14 |
| #10 We have an "Uncle Ted" here too. Well, that saved me from scrolling down to see who submitted it... |
| Posted by: Raj 2005-05-19 14:38 |
| #9 Maybe. Will that get me put on some list? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-05-19 14:34 |
| #8 We have an "Uncle Ted" here too. But he's the kinda creepy fat slob drunken perv uncle you really don't want to have much to do with. You refering to Uncle Teddy Kennedy? |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2005-05-19 14:28 |
| #7 We have a senator that gave us that money" All by his self, no doubt. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-05-19 12:33 |
| #6 For $1.5m, they could build it big enough that Paul could land his Cessna on the roof--the ultimate Park-n-Ride, as it were. |
| Posted by: Mike 2005-05-19 12:24 |
| #5 I'll take that as a "no"? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-05-19 11:49 |
| #4 This is embarasskin...I just got my property tax assessment on my house yesterday. So I am embarassed and mad as hell....... |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-05-19 11:40 |
| #3 New slogan for the Anchorage Dept. of Public Transportation: "More is More." |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-05-19 11:12 |
| #2 How about doing the right thing, and building a simple, inexpensive bus stop and refunding the balance of the money? |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-05-19 10:57 |
| #1 How about buying every Anchorage bus rider a new car? It would end up much cheaper. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-05-19 10:55 |