[nfbmi-talk] FW: CATA Expands Service In Delta Township

Sun Aug 31 15:35:22 UTC 2014

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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Wurtzel via nfbmi-talk" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
To: "NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2014 8:39 AM
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] FW: CATA Expands Service In Delta Township


>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Fred Wurtzel [mailto:f.wurtzel at att.net]
> Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2014 8:10 AM
> To: 'terrydeagle at yahoo.com'
> Subject: RE: [nfbmi-talk] CATA Expands Service In Delta Township
>
> Hello Terry,
>
> This sounds like a great project for the Lansing Chapter to undertake. 
> The
> ICE idea is very catchy and would make a great branding idea for the
> project.  Mark certainly does know the leadership in a lot of these
> communities.
>
> Mark is 100 percent correct.  A regional approach is absolutely essential 
> to
> good transportation in the greater Lansing area.  Just think about the 
> state
> Secondary Complex.  Blind people have always had difficulty in working 
> there
> due to transportation.  Then, there is St. Johns and Charlotte, the county
> seats where people need to go for certain things and where blind people
> live.  This is a doable thing, though not, necessarily, an easy thing.
> There is a 3-year window where funding is provided for Delta Township.  I
> feel it could be done in 3 years.  Blind people would need to help 
> organize
> a broad-based group and lead this group to City Council meetings, County
> Board meetings and Township Board meetings.  It will be necessary to
> identify supporters on all of these boards and commissions who can help 
> get
> resolutions, ordinances, motions and the like passed to help create the
> support for a regional group.
>
> Of course, CATA is the 500 pound gorilla which will need to be included
> along with Michigan State and LCC.  Judging by the article at the end of
> this thread, below, some old wounds will need to heal.  The writer, below,
> says that Eaton County doesn't need CATA.  This reflects a lot of people's
> thinking.  If the leaders are really interested in quality service, it is 
> an
> interdependent community which just happens to have some arbitrary 
> political
> boundaries in our midst.  We all need each other to become the great
> community of the future which we all want.
>
> With Lansing/East Lansing/MSU/LCC  in the extreme corner of Ingham County,
> bordering Clinton and Eaton Counties it only makes good sense to have a
> coordinated and seamless transportation system.  LCC has 30,000 students 
> and
> a "campus in St. Johns and of course, the west campus in Delta Township in
> Eaton County.  ICE is really good thinking and I am excited to pitch in 
> and
> help get it done.  The NFB would definitely gain respect and influence if 
> we
> pull it off.
>
> Warmest Regards,
>
> Fred
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Terry D. Eagle [mailto:terrydeagle at yahoo.com]
> Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2014 6:19 AM
> To: 'Fred Wurtzel'; 'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'
> Subject: RE: [nfbmi-talk] CATA Expands Service In Delta Township
>
> I believe the long-term solution is a regional tri-county transportation
> system approach.  As Mark suggests, it could be referred to as ICE, for
> Ingham, Cnton, and Eaton counties.  If such a regional system can work for
> older American and mental health services, it could work for 
> transportation.
>
> The Lansing mayor and governor talk much about regionalization of 
> services,
> and now they need to act.  Politics need to be replaced by service to the
> public needs.  A regional transportation system would be good for the
> economy of the entire area, and spread the cost out to all economic 
> classes
> of citizens.  Plus, surveys show the younger generation desires a strong
> public transportation system where they reside.  Let's go ICE!
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbmi-talk [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Fred
> Wurtzel via nfbmi-talk
> Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2014 7:34 AM
> To: 'J.J. Meddaugh'; 'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] CATA Expands Service In Delta Township
>
> Hello,
>
> Well, a friend visited me from Delta Township, yesterday.  It formerly 
> cost
> $5 for the trip into Lansing.  Yesterday it was rolled back to the $2.50
> which all other Lansing area trips cost.  To me, this silly battle between
> CATA and Eaton county serves no one and causes a lot of inconvenience to a
> lot of people.  Before this happened, I believe Lansing Community College
> was in violation of the ADA beecause of the West Campus problem.
>
> So, I'll take 3 years and hope that people can come to their senses in the
> meantime and come up with a longer-term solution.
>
> Warmest Regards,
>
> Fred
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbmi-talk [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of J.J.
> Meddaugh via nfbmi-talk
> Sent: Monday, August 25, 2014 10:16 PM
> To: Elizabeth Mohnke; NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] CATA Expands Service In Delta Township
>
> More news via MSU Today.
> Looks like there will be a bus servicing LCC West while school is in
> session. That's very cool.
> This article lists service changes for the fall.
> Honestly, one of the best days for public transit in Michigan I can
> remember.
> http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2014/cata-service-changes-to-launch-aug-25/
>
> Best regards,
> J.J.
>
> On 8/22/2014 7:47 PM, Elizabeth Mohnke via nfbmi-talk wrote:
>> Hi J.J.,
>>
>> Thank you for sharing this link. I believe the Redi-Ride service would go
> further west than SpecTran. This new CATA service sounds nice, but I just
> read an article on how this new CATA service may be limited as to how long
> it sticks around. I was curious where the money for this was coming from
> since Delta Township does not pay the new CATA millage rate that went into
> effect several years ago. The article appears below for anyone who is
> interested in reading it.
>>
>> Warm regards,
>> Elizabeth
>>
>> Joe Conn Lansing State Journal
>>
>> 8 hrs
>>
>> Joe Conn The citizens of Delta Township had a chance to improve a public
> transit service when Eatran went for a county-wide .50 millage increase to
> the current .25 mil, which would have cost the average home owner about
> $25.00 more/year on their property taxes and it was soundly defeated. So,
> why would Delta Township want CATA to take over transportation needs when
> the cost to the taxpayers would jump from paying Eatran's .75 mil to 
> CATA's
> 3.007 per year? For example, on a home with a taxable value of $50,000, 
> the
> amount for Eatran would be only $37.50. For CATA, it would be $150.00. 
> They
> would be paying an additional $112.50 for the SAME EXACT SERVICE. With the
> .75 mil, Eatran will be able to: Increase service hours to 10:30pm;
> Establish fixed routes, along with curb-to-curb service; and provide 7
> days/week service. CATA is running this service on limited grant money. As
> soon as it runs out, Delta Township will have to replace it with a 
> millage.
> This millage will definitely be more than the Eatran millage would be 
> needed
> for this same increased service. Also, CATA is using $140,000 of Delta
> Township funds. Where is this coming from??? Why weren't citizens asked 
> for
> a vote, or informed of where these monies came from?? It appears the Eaton
> county commissioners and Delta Township officials are collaborating to 
> push
> Eatran out of business, as Delta Township is a majority of their ridership
> and revenues. Why do we need two competing transit authorities in the same
> area providing the same curb-to-curb service throughout Delta Township??
> Eatran, over and over again, has tried to negotiate a transfer deal with
> CATA to allow Eatran riders to transfer without paying an additional fare.
> Every time, CATA has refused to negotiate a deal. The obvious choice would
> be to keep Eatran because it is definitely less expensive. Why wasn't 
> Eatran
> offered the $140,000 to increase their overall transportation services to
> the citizens of Delta Township, since they have been the transit authority
> in all of Eaton County since 1980? Let's support our own public transit
> authority in Eaton County. We DO NOT NEED CATA!
>>
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