Funding Pie Slices and a Front Street Project: At the MPO

The question of how to absorb Aumsville into our Metropolitan Planning Organization continues to be debated. There are some ancillary materials for the meeting on Tuesday the 23rd, though there is no formal agenda item for discussion. It is background, not foreground at the moment.

In the meeting packet are some interesting tables breaking down the proportions in allocating dollars to each jurisdiction over a period of about two decades.

Disproportion with Cherriots and regional projects

Probably the more relevant table excludes Cherriots and region-wide projects. The City of Salem has 65% of the population, but received only 47% of funding. Meanwhile, Marion County with 19% of the population grabbed 37%. Those are meaningful differences.

Disproportion w/o Cherriots and ODOT

In addition to questions about the size and proportion of the pie slice, there have been questions about a more general shaping of priorities and chilling of discourse.

We might have initiated climate assessment and planning earlier had the representative from Marion County not threatened to walk out or be difficult. In a polite way, he made his disapproval apparent and so he shaped agenda. Smile and carry a big stick.

As the Policy Committee continues to discusses governance and voting, Aumsville sent a letter asking for the status quo. (Though they cite poverty rates in Aumsville, what do you want to bet they don't vote for or enact policy to reduce poverty? This is likely special pleading and selective detail.)

Aumsville's complaint about "equity"

Though there is no information with the meeting materials, there is a brief mention of a City of Salem application for a grant on Front Street.

A project on Front Street?

This may very well be the planning study associated with the Cannery proposal. Or perhaps that study has wrapped non-publicly, and this is now a grant for design and construction.

• Previously see "A New Study for Front Street"
  

In the minutes to last meeting are a number of interesting items.

There was what might be the first public statement of something I think we all just assume: The Union Street Bridge will be ruined in the big Cascadian Subduction Zone Earthquake, and maybe a lesser one too.

Union St Bridge goes kablooey in Quake

Counterweights in particular will cause trouble

There was also more on the Center Street Bridge Seismic Retrofit project, including delay and more on the west side approach, which is no longer included in the retrofit.

More delay on Center St Bridge Seismic

There is, it sounds like, a capacity increase smuggled into the project!

Smuggling a capacity increase!

This deserves more attention and discussion. Is that one reason why there is no money for the west side approach? This looks a little hinky! 

The Policy Committee for the MPO meets at noon on Tuesday the 23rd. Meeting information, agenda, and packet is here.