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June 27, 2008
NEWS FROM THE MAYOR
Dear Friends,
JobCorps Moves Forward
An important phase in the establishment of a JobCorps Center in Milwaukee concluded this week when the planning and design process came to a close. Next, a contractor will be chosen, and we hope to break ground in the coming months.
I’ve worked on JobCorps from the very beginning. As a Member of Congress, I am proud to say that I played a pivotal role in bringing the job training facility to Milwaukee. I am pleased to see this critical project continue to move forward.
The 155,000 square foot Milwaukee Job Corps Center campus, nestled within 25 acres on Milwaukee’s northwest side, will provide basic education, vocational skills training, work experience, job placement, counseling, healthcare and related support services to 300 economically disadvantaged young people, ages 16 to 24, every year.
I am excited that soon this facility will be fully operational, empowering the workforce of tomorrow with the skills they need to keep Milwaukee’s economy strong, and also offering hope for a better tomorrow to hundreds of young people.
Making City Government Work for You
Milwaukee's ePermits system was recently recognized for "Excellence in Problem Solving" by the Public Policy Forum. The award was presented during the Forum's 2008 Salute to Local Government Awards program June 19.
The ePermits system allows contractors to apply for and receive electrical, plumbing, and heating and ventilating permits over the internet, reducing the time required to obtain such permits from days to less than 10 minutes. Today, 35% of all permits are issued using this system, and more than 70% of electrical permits, the most common type, are issued over the internet.
The creation of ePermits was spearheaded by staff in the Development Center, the office within the Department of City Development that is responsible for all development permitting. Contractors who wish to sign-up for ePermits should go to the Development Center web page at www.mkedcd.org/build and click on the ePermits icon.
Getting over our Rail-phobia
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker says he is looking for new federal dollars to bail out the County’s struggling bus system.
This is strange because Milwaukee is already sitting on $91.5 million in federal money to enhance and upgrade transportation in our community.
My plan to use that $91.5 million would provide the County with about the same amount of money Walker says he needs from the feds for buses, and use the rest to introduce a starter rail system to Milwaukee.
Scott could have millions for buses today, yet he has rejected my plan. He has also turned down my repeated offers for him and I to simply agree to disagree, split the $91.5 million, and go our separate ways.
The reason for these odd actions is clear, and has nothing to do with buses. County Executive Walker is vehemently opposed to rail in our community, and he seems content to leave $91.5 million in federal money for Milwaukee tied up forever to ensure he kills rail.
This makes no sense, because right now rail transit is triggering billions of dollars in economic development, business growth and job creation in cities of all sizes and types from every part of the country.
It’s time for Milwaukee to break from the old, reflexive anti-rail thinking of yesterday. It’s time for Milwaukee to get over its rail-phobia, move boldly into the future and reap the massive benefits of rail – just like these other cities:
Portland, OR: $2.3 billion in private investment and development in areas served by the city’s first streetcar line.
Denver, CO: $4 billion in private investment in downtown and nearby neighborhoods thanks in large part to modern transit system.
Dallas, TX: As of 2003, $1 billion in new development around Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) rail stations.
Charlotte, NC: 7,000 new housing units planned along the city’s Blue Line, and ridership now stands at 13,000 riders daily – 4,000 more riders per day than previously estimated.
Minneapolis, MN: 12,000 housing units and 1 million square feet of commercial space built, under construction, or proposed within a 1/2 mile radius of Hiawatha rail line stations.
Little Rock, AR: $300 million in new construction since city’s streetcar line was built.
Indianapolis, IN: Features a downtown rail system, and currently considering a downtown streetcar system as part of a comprehensive transit plan very similar to the Barrett plan.
Phoenix, AZ: The new rail system is not yet completed, but already it has sparked $6 billion in development as new housing, offices and mixed-use buildings are being built along the rail line.
Buses are essential, and we should absolutely invest to keep the bus system viable.
But different modes of transit accomplish different things, and rail is better at sparking economic development. In the words of Greg Hnedak, who planned Memphis’ highly successful streetcar system, “Buses are cheaper, but when you put rails down, you have made a permanent commitment, and developers can see that commitment. Rail lines become development corridors.”
And rail attracts more riders. “People who wouldn’t ride a bus will ride a streetcar,” says Michael T. Burns, general manager of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA).
As a result, rail systems make a city more attractive to open or relocate a business, more appealing to talented workers searching for a place to live, and they make a city more attractive and friendly to visit – all of which will create jobs up and down the socioeconomic ladder.
So the next time someone tells you that buses can accomplish what rail can, think about this summary from Paul Weyrich – a noted conservative activist and researcher, no less:
“Rails are a must. You cannot turn a bus into a streetcar for the same reason you cannot make a sow’s ear into a silk purse: the original material always shows through.”
Milwaukee needs a strong bus system, and we should invest part of the $91.5 million in buses.
But it’s also time for Milwaukee to move past its rail-phobia and develop a rail system that will generate enormous economic development for our community.
Sincerely,
Mayor, City of Milwaukee
Visit my website at: http://www.city.milwaukee.gov/mayor
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