Bountiful Main Street Rally - Davis County Clipper April 1, 2010

Vocal crowd gathers for rally against streetcars

by Tom Busselberg

Apr 01, 2010 | 1 views | 0  | 0  |  | 

RESIDENTS gather on Bountiful’s Main Street for a rally opposing the streetcar plan.

BOUNTIFUL — More than 100 people made for a lively Main Street, Monday evening.

They were voicing opposition to a potential streetcar running from Salt Lake City to Centerville. That was just days before the March 31 deadline to receive public comment on a first round South Davis transportation study.

“We want to send a strong message to UTA and Bountiful city officials that rail on Main Street is not the public’s preferred option,” said Cecilee Price-Huish, “I Love Main Street” rally organizer.

“The Main Street district is home to many unique, long-standing, family-owned businesses and plays host to our most important community events. We do not want to see the integrity of Main Street destroyed with a light rail system.”

Concerns voiced during the rally included project cost, estimated at up to $473 million, the potential for increased sales taxes, a potential decrease in property values, and higher crime.

Pedestrian safety was also addressed. There are 11 schools within a quarter mile of the Main Street route.

Nothing has been finalized, emphasized Bountiful Mayor Joe Johnson last week during an informal comment period.

However, tentative routes mentioned so far have it running from the intermodal hub in downtown Salt Lake City along Beck Street to U.S. 89 to Bountiful’s Main Street, ending at Main and Center Streets in Centerville. A bus connection would take passengers to Farmington Station.

“We are not against public transportation, said Preservation for Main Street (Bountiful) Committee Co-Chair Verlon Duncan. “We are just against the rail system option.

“We need to be better utilizing the FrontRunner and making it more accessible,” he said. “The committee supports the Enhanced Bus Service option of the UTA proposal, but without the Park and Ride lots,” he said.

Results of a Preservation for Main Street Committee showed that of 450 residents contacted, 96 oppose the rail option, with 82 percent of 70 Main Street businesses also against it.

To concerns raised by the group that the area’s population doesn’t justify a streetcar, Johnson said, “If you take the six cities in South Davis, there are (currently) about 94,000 people.”

In a separate Clipper interview, Bountiful City Planner Aric Jensen elaborated on what the mayor has said previously in support of a Main Street option.

Jensen said there are already several senior housing facilities on Main, from Heritage Place on the south to Avalon and Village on Main on the north. And as the influx of “baby boomers” progresses, there will only be more demand for such facilities.

Disabled people also like streetcars, because they are a set route vs. buses, that can change routes, he said.

At the council meeting, Johnson said it could be decades before a streetcar or other option is built, if ever.

UTA would operate any such line. Spokesman Gerry Carpenter estimated Wednesday morning that “over 1,000 comments” have been received from the public about the proposal.

About one in eight comments have been supportive of the streetcar option, he said. “There are definitely two sides to the issue. It’s definitely a very vocal, outspoken group who oppose any sort of retail option in Centerville, primarily, and also Bountiful.

“There is no funding, no officially adopted alterative at this point,” Carpenter emphasized. “We’re really just looking for comments on the draft version of the EIS of the draft report.”

He said those comments and concerns “will be addressed in the final version.” Under a federal alternative analysis process, “additional alternatives will be reviewed in greater detail.

“We look at relocating rail to another alignment, or combined rail, bus, or just enhanced bus service” as part of that process, the UTA spokesman said.

“Cost, ridership and environmental impact” will be considered, as well, he said, adding: “The next goal is to see what we can to move forward funding something. There is no clear funding path at this point; no decision point in the near future.”