ARTICLE
After decades of debate regarding the financial viability and logistics of the Coastal Rail Trail Project, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors made a pivotal decision at its April 30th meeting, reversing a deadlock vote and giving the green light for the project to proceed. The deadlock, which occurred on March 26, 2024, resulted in a 2-2 vote among the Board of Supervisors, with one supervisor abstaining due to a conflict of interest. This impasse effectively halted progress on Segment 10-11 of the 32-mile rail trail corridor project. Key concerns centered around a $27 million funding deficit despite the project receiving a $67 million state grant from the California Transportation Commission (CTC) in 2022, marking the largest state grant in CTC history under the Active Transportation Program (ATP). Supervisors Manu Koenig and Bruce McPherson raised significant questions about the origin of the shortfall, particularly amid other unfunded county projects. Their dissent left the community in limbo, increasing tensions between rail-and-trail proponents and those advocating solely for a trail. A caveat statement: The Santa Cruz County Chamber has supported a rail-trail concept dating back before the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) purchased the 32 mile corridor utilizing 1990 Prop. 116 state funds for that $11 million purchase back in 2012. A current major hurdle in the funding process is tied to a pending state deadline by the June 22nd CTC meeting where the $67 million grant must be agreed upon by the applicant (Santa Cruz County and the RTC). We have known for more than 20 years that our transportation infrastructure was underfunded to handle county roads and city street repairs, improve bike and pedestrian options, safe access to schools, increase funds for METRO and Paratransit services, and Highway 1 and Highway 9 improvements. When Santa Cruz County voters approved the 2016 Measure D, a 1/2 cent sales tax for 30 years, all concerned understood that local funding alone would not pay for the millions of dollars needed for these projects. Undeterred, county voters said “let’s move forward” with Measure D where our local funds make us more competitive for state and federal dollars. With Measure D passing we became a self-help county. That is exactly what has occurred in the last eight years. We can see progress through the numerous construction projects that are happening in all regions of our county. Yes, we must labor through delays as Highway 1 is shut down in the late evening hours, and alternative routes cause longer commutes. The delays temper one’s patience. We must muddle through these projects knowing that the outcome is better for our county residents. With the urgency of climate change upon us and the horrific winter storms taking their toll on our communities, we must stay the course. Innovative funding strategies from local sources coupled with state and federal government program dollars are essential to our transportation infrastructure future. Now, back to the discussion that occurred at the March 26th BOS meeting where a 2-2 vote delayed action until a series of questions could be answered. In an urgent move on April 18th, Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) reviewed information from the county and voted in favor of getting the Segment 10-11 project back on track. Two key comments that came forward from the RTC meeting included an agreement that the RTC would find additional funds to address the shortfall. The second comment related to, if necessary, requesting for an extension of the CTC deadline to accept the $67 million grant at a later date — that request needed to be in the hands of the CTC by April 29. County Staff took an unusual step (before the April 30th BOS meeting) by submitting a request for an extension as well and sending a binding agreement with Caltrans (through the CTC process) that the County & RTC would work on a Coastal Rail Trail project that has been named, the Ultimate Trail. However, since the County is the “lead local agency,” the BOS needed to reaffirm their position and finalized with Tuesday BOS unanimous 4-0 vote in favor of the County Staff recommendation “to adopt CEQA Findings and Statement of Overriding Considerations and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, approve the project, permits, and the agreement with Caltrans for the Coastal Rail Trail Segments 10/11 project in the Ultimate Trail Configuration, and take related actions.” Looking forward to the Segment 10-11 project is just one more example where the community must work in partnership with our local government. During the April 30th meeting, County Park Planner Rob Tidmore gave supervisors an update on several concerns Koenig and McPherson had raised about the project in March. He said Roaring Camp Railroads, which has agreed (in principle) to pay for the work necessary to realign the tracks in Segment 10. Roaring Camp is still discussing with the county and the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) what other work it could take on. That could reduce the project’s costs by $7 to $9 million, Tidmore said. The reversal votes by Supervisors Koenig and McPherson were summarized by their comments during the meeting and to a Lookout Santa Cruz reporter. Koenig stated, “This is one hell of a project to undertake when our county is in such a perilous financial position and we can’t contribute any county money ourselves. But, at the end of the day, this is the RTC’s project, and with the vote at the last Regional Transportation Commission meeting to ensure that they will back up the county and provide all needed funds, I cannot and will not stand in the way.” McPherson said that while he still has some concerns regarding the project’s cost, the extra information made him comfortable enough to move forward. He told Lookout that he was never against the project, but felt the follow-up work was necessary. “We just wanted clarity of the issues and adequate information of how we’re going to get this thing done,” he said. “There’s a tough road ahead, but that shouldn’t stop it from happening. There are a lot of things that have been done and there are a lot of things still to be done.” Let’s move this project forward.
After decades of debate regarding the financial viability and logistics of the Coastal Rail Trail Project, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors made a pivotal decision at its April 30th meeting, reversing a deadlock vote and giving the green light for the project to proceed.
The deadlock, which occurred on March 26, 2024, resulted in a 2-2 vote among the Board of Supervisors, with one supervisor abstaining due to a conflict of interest. This impasse effectively halted progress on Segment 10-11 of the 32-mile rail trail corridor project. Key concerns centered around a $27 million funding deficit despite the project receiving a $67 million state grant from the California Transportation Commission (CTC) in 2022, marking the largest state grant in CTC history under the Active Transportation Program (ATP). Supervisors Manu Koenig and Bruce McPherson raised significant questions about the origin of the shortfall, particularly amid other unfunded county projects. Their dissent left the community in limbo, increasing tensions between rail-and-trail proponents and those advocating solely for a trail.
A caveat statement: The Santa Cruz County Chamber has supported a rail-trail concept dating back before the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) purchased the 32 mile corridor utilizing 1990 Prop. 116 state funds for that $11 million purchase back in 2012. A current major hurdle in the funding process is tied to a pending state deadline by the June 22nd CTC meeting where the $67 million grant must be agreed upon by the applicant (Santa Cruz County and the RTC).
We have known for more than 20 years that our transportation infrastructure was underfunded to handle county roads and city street repairs, improve bike and pedestrian options, safe access to schools, increase funds for METRO and Paratransit services, and Highway 1 and Highway 9 improvements.
When Santa Cruz County voters approved the 2016 Measure D, a 1/2 cent sales tax for 30 years, all concerned understood that local funding alone would not pay for the millions of dollars needed for these projects. Undeterred, county voters said “let’s move forward” with Measure D where our local funds make us more competitive for state and federal dollars. With Measure D passing we became a self-help county.
That is exactly what has occurred in the last eight years. We can see progress through the numerous construction projects that are happening in all regions of our county. Yes, we must labor through delays as Highway 1 is shut down in the late evening hours, and alternative routes cause longer commutes. The delays temper one’s patience. We must muddle through these projects knowing that the outcome is better for our county residents.
With the urgency of climate change upon us and the horrific winter storms taking their toll on our communities, we must stay the course. Innovative funding strategies from local sources coupled with state and federal government program dollars are essential to our transportation infrastructure future.
Now, back to the discussion that occurred at the March 26th BOS meeting where a 2-2 vote delayed action until a series of questions could be answered. In an urgent move on April 18th, Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) reviewed information from the county and voted in favor of getting the Segment 10-11 project back on track. Two key comments that came forward from the RTC meeting included an agreement that the RTC would find additional funds to address the shortfall. The second comment related to, if necessary, requesting for an extension of the CTC deadline to accept the $67 million grant at a later date — that request needed to be in the hands of the CTC by April 29. County Staff took an unusual step (before the April 30th BOS meeting) by submitting a request for an extension as well and sending a binding agreement with Caltrans (through the CTC process) that the County & RTC would work on a Coastal Rail Trail project that has been named, the Ultimate Trail.
However, since the County is the “lead local agency,” the BOS needed to reaffirm their position and finalized with Tuesday BOS unanimous 4-0 vote in favor of the County Staff recommendation “to adopt CEQA Findings and Statement of Overriding Considerations and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, approve the project, permits, and the agreement with Caltrans for the Coastal Rail Trail Segments 10/11 project in the Ultimate Trail Configuration, and take related actions.”
Looking forward to the Segment 10-11 project is just one more example where the community must work in partnership with our local government. During the April 30th meeting, County Park Planner Rob Tidmore gave supervisors an update on several concerns Koenig and McPherson had raised about the project in March. He said Roaring Camp Railroads, which has agreed (in principle) to pay for the work necessary to realign the tracks in Segment 10. Roaring Camp is still discussing with the county and the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) what other work it could take on. That could reduce the project’s costs by $7 to $9 million, Tidmore said.
The reversal votes by Supervisors Koenig and McPherson were summarized by their comments during the meeting and to a Lookout Santa Cruz reporter. Koenig stated, “This is one hell of a project to undertake when our county is in such a perilous financial position and we can’t contribute any county money ourselves. But, at the end of the day, this is the RTC’s project, and with the vote at the last Regional Transportation Commission meeting to ensure that they will back up the county and provide all needed funds, I cannot and will not stand in the way.”
McPherson said that while he still has some concerns regarding the project’s cost, the extra information made him comfortable enough to move forward. He told Lookout that he was never against the project, but felt the follow-up work was necessary.
“We just wanted clarity of the issues and adequate information of how we’re going to get this thing done,” he said. “There’s a tough road ahead, but that shouldn’t stop it from happening. There are a lot of things that have been done and there are a lot of things still to be done.”
Let’s move this project forward.