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Agenda Item #2a <br /> <br />NCDA COMMUTER RAIL STRATEGY <br /> (PLAN B) <br /> <br />ADOPTED BY THE NCDA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON JULY 12, 2001 <br /> <br />OBJECTIVE: <br />To ensure that the Northstar commuter rail project stays on track and state and federal <br />funding is secured in 2002. <br /> <br />ASSETS: <br /> <br />2. <br />3. <br />4. <br />5. <br />6. <br /> <br />NCDA organization - local political support <br />Strong public support <br />Public trust in the Northstar solution <br />Viable project with history of good project management <br />Strong legislative team <br />Strong congressional support <br /> <br />BARRIERS: <br /> <br />2. <br />3. <br />4. <br />$. <br /> <br />House leadership opposition <br />Northstar commuter rail not seen as top priority for local legislative delegation <br />Insufficient public advocacy <br />Mn/DOT takeover weakened support <br />Northstar not included in Governor's Aglobal solution@ <br /> <br />PROPOSED STRATEGY: <br />1. Ignite local support <br /> We must educate, keep informed, and ask the public to request that their <br /> legislators fund the Northstar commuter rail or the region will suffer <br /> consequences. Increased involvement by NCDA members will be critical to this <br /> effo~. <br /> <br />Develop Statewide Transportation Coalition <br />Many agree that transportation funding as a whole (not just Northstar) was <br />inadequately addressed by the 2001 Legislature. The Northstar funding is most <br />likely to be achieved through bonding, which requires a super majority of 60%. <br />To get that 60%, we need to align ourselves with other people seeking bonding <br />money and other interested parties to build a statewide coalition. <br /> <br />Establish Strong, Cooperative CRCCC Oversiqht of Proiect <br />This oversight will be necessary to ensure that the project stays on track and to <br />avoid escalating costs due to delays. For project advocacy to succeed, the <br />technical work and the BNSF negotiations must continue to progress in a timely <br />fashion. <br /> <br /> <br />