Let's Talk Transit!

When you want to be a public servant, you have to do a lot of research about a lot of topics. Well... Okay. Maybe you don't have to, but I think you should. My latest bit of light reading is titled "Proposed Interim Guidance and Instructions : Small Starts Provision of the Section 5309 New Starts Program". John Grisham it ain't. But to me it's pretty interesting. The Federal Transit Administration is seeking comments on its Small Starts program. Basically it provides grants from $75 Million to $250 Million for transit lines that meet certain criteria. Basically it can't be a glorified bus route. (I didn't say The MAX. Oops I guess I just did) It has to be either fixed guideway for at least 50% of the project length or be a corridor-based bus project with elements like dedicated transit stations and 10 minute headways (that's fancy transit talk for a bus arriving every 10 minutes). With millions of dollars in federal money being handed out every year, I think it would be wise to have a full-time grant writer employed by the City. While the actual act of writing a grant proposal is not super difficult, the amount of programs and material to be sifted through for any given grant period is immense. I think a specialist in finding these programs and bringing some federal dollars back to Kansas City would be a good thing. Don't you?