Fairfield seeks $12 million train station grant to boost project
FAIRFIELD — Fairfield is seeking $12 million in federal funds to help build its Fairfield-Vacaville train station project near Vanden and Peabody roads.
The city already has $42 million and is moving ahead with plans to begin utility relocations next year. Work includes building a train station platform, reconfiguring Union Pacific tracks and building a bridge to take Peabody Road over the tracks.
But Fairfield wants to do more during the initial construction phase than what Assistant Public Works Director Steve Hartwig called the “base project.” It also want to do such things as extend Vanderbilt Drive so that it leads to the station and install a solar array, features that without the grant will have to wait until a later date.
Mayor Harry Price took a recent trip to Washington, D.C. as part of a Solano Transportation Authority contingent and lobbied for the grant.
“Grants are very, very competitive,” Price said.
The city expects to find out whether it will receive the grant late this year or in early 2012. It applied for the grant along with the Capitol Corridor service, Vacaville and Solano County.
Meanwhile, the city is still exploring how it will deal with traffic while it constructs the Peabody Road bridge over the tracks. It could close Peabody Road altogether at the tracks from 2013 into 2014 or leave Peabody Road partially open and take longer to do the job, perhaps from 2013 through 2015.
Peabody Road is a key link between Fairfield and Vacaville and is heavily used by people driving to Travis Air Force Base and to schools such as Vanden High School. Whatever course the city chooses will have a big impact on motorists in the area.
Hartwig said some people suggested having crews work 24 hours a day to finish the Peabody Road project as quickly as possible. The city is looking at such issues as how nighttime construction noise would affect the nearest residents.
Fairfield is also talking to business owners in the area who will be affected by the project. Some business owners have already expressed concerns about what a Peabody Road closure at the tracks would mean for them.
For example, Bill Rankin spoke to the City Council at its Sept. 20 meeting. He is vice president of real estate for Quik Stop and there is a Quik Stop on Peabody Road.
Quik Stop as a whole can weather a storm like this. But the franchisee of this particular Quik Stop would see his business devastated by a full closure. The option of a partial closure would at least give him some chance of survival, Rankin said.
Hartwig said the city is still getting comments from the community before deciding how it will handle traffic while the bridge gets built. It held several community meetings earlier this year.
Reach Barry Eberling at 427-6929, or beberling@dailyrepublic.net.
Short URL: http://www.dailyrepublic.com/?p=100512
Posted by Barry Eberling
on Oct 25 2011.
Filed under Fairfield, Top stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
Did Harry Price forget he promised to redevelop the main gateway into West Texas Street? It’s the first impression people get coming from I-80. Still there is no sign on busy highway I-80 promoting downtown.
Harry said there’s no money for West Texas Street. He continues to refuse answering Fix Fairfield’s emails and calls asking if he could at least “try” to get funds for the project that is over a decade old. So far we have only gotten word games from Harry and certain people who work for Harry.
The new train station concept could be great idea. We were told downtown won’t lose focus on downtown. If Harry let’s central Fairfield continue to slide, he will need to divert more funds to police to manage the urban blight he is causing.
If Harry Price’s “price” for fixing West Texas Street is too high, why does he spend so much money on travel, and projects for special interest groups? Take a guess. Savvy politicians know that vibrant small business owners are more likely to question Harry Price and his motives. Statistical chances show it to be safer for politicians to work with old boy network buddies on large redevelopment projects.
One can’t completely blame governor Jerry Brown for restricting economic redevelopment funds if they are not fairly applied throughout the community. If Fairfield is “fair”, it’s time for Harry Price to keep his promise to redevelop the main gateway http://www.FairfieldGateway.org into Fairfield – take a look at the old website that Harry might wish to make disappear.
All future grant requests Harry Price supports should be compared with the needs for keeping his promise to Fairfield voters. Will Harry Price reconfirm his promise as shown below? It appears he has not yet seriously replied to this or older versions proposed. So far, do we just get word game answers and http://www.DogPonyGame.org related replies?
Will Fairfield Mayor Harry Price Keep His Promise To
Redevelop West Texas Street?
Will Harry Price Agree To At Least “Try” To Do The Following?
Future I-80 Downtown Fairfield Sign To Create Jobs:
• Capture Lost Business: Highway I-80 drivers targeted to spend money in our downtown.
• Install I-80 sign after the West Texas St gateway to downtown is finished: Make it half the old Solano Mall sign size.
• Place “Downtown Fairfield” directional signs where practical. Don’t just place them on Fairfield business streets such as Travis Boulevard where you have more voter support.
Seek West Texas St Redevelopment Grants:
• Improvement grants are available. Fairfield city will submit over five serious new grants a year. The city will place the highest priority on keeping its promised to improve Fairfield’s main gateway.
Street & Landscaping Improvements:
• Plans Were Paid For By Tax Dollars: Why let them collect dust? Use the city’s paid West Texas St redevelopment plans for nice landscaping, and street median strip with landscaping. Adapt to changing planning laws. Seek over $18 million in grants.
• Use city gateway studies & plans already paid for: Plans nicely show West Texas Street leading to the modern Solano County office building through downtown. The entry segment from I80 to Pennsylvania is past the 2001 deadline.
Building Facade Improvements:
$80,000 loans to each Fairfield property. Low government backed interest rates. Harry please help increase the number of Fairfield business and jobs.
Verifying City Gets Results:
City hall staff will provide clear monthly progress reports. Fairfield city government will be encouraged to avoid word games, or wiggle out of this promise’s intention.
Harry Let’s Work Together For A Better Fairfield
Certainly Harry’s buddies will attack this posting and/or myself with even more word games. If one cares enough about Fairfield I kindly request people consider reading ideas about being constructive and less destructive such as discussed at http://www.FixFairfield.blogspot.com/2011/10/to-be-constructive-or-destructive-in.html
I simply stand for what’s right and ask other Fairfield voters to stand up and kindly ask Harry Price to keep his word. Please finish the West Texas Street project Harry. The investors followed your request in invest millions of dollars into our city’s main gateway. Please keep your side of the bargain. Let’s get past this and return Fairfield to its former glory. Fairfield voters thank you, and the Daily Republic for allowing this to be posted. Thank you.
Steven Kays 434-8000
Once again, I’d like the city to consider a moratorium on all residential construction for two years. Let’s get busy bringing in business and moving the properties available. The overpass is great, will be inconvenient but when finished, a good thing. We don’t need the rest of it right now.
I totally agree, CD. BTW, what federal funds are they talking about?! We’re broke!
Fairfield residents need to understand…these projects are nothing but cash grabs for Sean Quinn’s developer buddies… This is what you get when you have a City Manager that has made his livelyhood rubbing elbows with the Yarbourghs and other developers… Quinn doesn’t care two hoots how far in debt he puts City residents with these wasteful projects.
He’s using our public funds for his own personal development interests and his longtime development cronies!
Sean Quinn needs to be FIRED and the City needs to hire someone that puts the SERVICES of our Municipality first!
Quit using our precious tax dollars for your selfish development interests!
This is nothing more than a cash grab for Local Developers! -
People complain all the time about services and costs for them. Then turn right around and cut the people doing the work! Not sure how that makes any sense? It certainly does not save money and obviously reduces productivity. Managers and supervisors are working “very hard” trying to save the city money and their very own high paying non-producing job. Fire Quinn. Fire every manager and director that has an assistant. Fire managers and every other supervisor. Promote one supervisor to manager. Promote new people from within but only as necessary. Investigate those hired as “a favor” with no experience and fire them too. Drop lifetime medical and car allowances. You really want to shake things up? Start a city-wide volunteer fire department. Then start bringing back the people that actually do the work. They are not the problem. Enough of the pay them and they will come garbage, that has never been proven successful. We can do better.
@CD…..look I agree with a lot of what your saying…the city probably does have overpaid do nothing dept.managers….but the problem with Fairfield is this incompetent City Council and the city manager they annointed in 2008.
I’ll say it again…former City Manager Kevin O’Rourke told this Mraz/Timm-led City Council that our City was facing major financial problems unless they followed his recommendation…O’Rourke as far back as 2003 projected the housing slowdown, the State takeaways in VLF and RDA and the $11 million dollar shortfall to our General Fund in 2010…He gave this Council the time to get their house in order….but what did these former fairfield cops now turned councilmembers do? They forced O’Rourke out….just like they forced out Police Chief Rainey, and they then annointed their chosen Unproven Quinn.
We had a City Manager in O’Rourke that had almost 2 decades experience and he was only costing the City residents $189,000 a year… Then in the blink of an eye this Mraz/Timm led Council put this new guy Quinn in as our City Manager without 1 single year of experience…and they agree to pay him over $220,000 a year.
Why should a little City like Fairfield be forced to train their new City Manager and also agree to pay him 30% more than we pay our California State Governor?
But here’s the worst part…All these development projects are expanding the size of our City..this while our City is downsizing staff and cutting services! Now can anyone please tell me what kind of common sense person would even think of doing such a thing during a period of economic contraction?
I mean really? Expand the City, but your cutting services at the same time?
This City is putting Developers first at the cost of City services!
I agree….Who pays for all this after the fact?….Look at the housing tracts in the area now….Looks like Swiss Cheese….Cheesy deal for the tax payers of FF….Sweet deal for all the developers of the project…Maybe we should see if any contributed to Chuck Timm’s Campain….Just saying….
I have suggested a moritorium on any new residential construction for two years as well…
CD Brooks You are Mayor Marcie do you want city manager or city council after that we will plug in Fred and nothing more!!! OK Now we are on the right track,, time to say by by to Harry T expensive Price. I applaud you all!!! (go Brian)
Cool, Mayor works for me! Marci, City Manager good for you? Mr Practical, how about Director of Public Works? Now we’re cookin!
My wife just fainted…
Thanks. . .but no thanks.
Is helping certain parts of town versus other parts of town needing greater help fair?
Will people rename the city of Fairfield? Is Fairfield “fair”? Gossip has people calling our town “unfair” or “Un Fair Field”.
While the train station may be a great idea – it is only fair to keep the promise to redevelop the last stretch of Fairfield’s central business district and not say there is no grant money (see above comment). Let’s make Fairfield fair again for everyone.
I have faith that we can work together and make things happen constructively. Or am i too optimistic about mayor Harry Price’s true intentions? Let’s not confuse Harry Price’s real actions, with the word games Harry Price is so skilled with. Thank you Daily Republic for offering this forum. It helps us establish open dialog so we can weigh the pro’s and con’s for future Fairfield planning. Will Harry Price respond to these blogs in city council or preferably here in the blog? Why not? I will send him a link to this article right now.
I just sent the email requesting Harry Price’s reply. My wording was stronger than this blog posting.
Harry might suggest my claims against him might not be fully correct. I again asked Harry to correct any errors I may have made describing his actions and alleged falsehoods. I know his old boy network has tried for years to find dirt on myself, to deflect from his dark side. While nobody is perfect, our clients love us. We honor our written agreements. Promises are so important that we require all important agreements to be notarized to make sure there is no chance of miss-understanding.
Harry time is now for you too look yourself in the mirror. I’ll try to forgive you (though others won’t. Please come back and keep your promises!
Check back to the DR blogs for more details on Harry Price’s Dog Pony Show.
If I were better skilled in more areas.. Typing and writing might not be my strongest strength. I can make plenty of errors. The link to the interesting Harry Price dog pony site is correctly typed here:
http://Www.DogPonyShow.Org
Wow I am amazed in how much energies Mr. kays puts in to his obsession with Harry Price, that he has even dedicated a whole sit e “dog and pony show” W O W…..
I did visit said dog and pony site its funny that so much emphasis is on secrets and honesty, Steven Kays one should not throw stones when one lives in a glass house..Hhaha.
I also find it amusing that you seek other way to play game with people as you seem to have mastered it or so you think…
I have taken the liberty of cutting and pasting words and or phrases you will find Posted by Solano Business News and Innovation Institute Blogs.
AKA STEVEN KAYS
• Deflect From Answering Questions That Expose The Truth:
• Hide The Truth:
• Prance: Song and dance your way around disclosing the truth.
• Fake Answer:
• Pretend to answer the question,
• but don’t really answer it.
• Pretend, Tricks, Cover Up, Camouflage, Fool, Hinting, Deflected, Falsely
The only thing that seems to be missing is the phrase “PLATE OF SPAGHETTI” which if I remember is a tactic uses to hide or to be traced from responsibility.
I just can’t believe that you have the nerve to tell people that you honor your promises. Mr. Price if you truly seek dirt on S.K. I would be glad to offer my experiences.
Ramirez, you have absolutely no proof in your unthought out statements. You are simply tied with the old boy network. Look to your family’s interfaces with the law for starters.
Are you saying Harry Price kept his promises? How do you suggest the central business district redevelopment grants be sought? Please be constructive instead of breaking the law.
Thank you.
Sounds like the menu from the liberal dining room.
Marci, In Ramirez’s defense, Ramirez appeared to be describing the word game tactics used by Harry Price. Price claimed to be a Republican.
The Harry Price dog pony show word games also related to how Harry avoids having a serious discussion about http://www.WestTexasStreet.com.
Hope this helps a bit.
Steven, I admittedly have not followed local politics and I do not know your record or the mayor’s. I saw the list of traits and applied them to the state and federal liberals, with whom I am more than familiar.
That being said, it is totally out of line to accuse Mr. Practical of being a paid political operative on this blog. He obviously puts a lot of thought into his comments and has the right to express them.
Marci, You could be right. I keep asking who Mr Practical is. How do you know if he is or is not part of the old boy network?
Anyone can write anything they want.
I do know the old boy network dominates many of these blog articles. Who do you think they might be? Anyone have any guesses? One has little to go on surely. But it’s worth thinking about.
Steve, I don’t know any of these bloggers personally. Mike seems to be the one with the ax to grind.
Steven remember who holds the WELL DOCUMENTED GOLDEN BOOK AND A NUMBER OF NOTARIZED ITEMS, I thought by now you’d of learned to play nice with people. Whether I am a Harry Price fan or not is irrelevant, I am not a fan of people who are in constant contradiction of them self.