OREGONIAN OP ED: Support for tram is not a blank check
Sam Adams
Friday, February 10, 2006
The Oregonian
Support for tram is not a blank check
I make plenty of mistakes. You can ask anybody. Prematurely announcing the resignation of the Portland tram project's executive director was a pretty visible one.
But while I am happy to fess up when I screw up, I'm not willing to back off doing what I believe is right. And the tram is a good idea.
Where a contaminated industrial district sat abandoned for a generation, the tram has been the catalyst for nearly $2 billion in new development, transforming the unproductive eyesore into a world-class neighborhood. But my support for the tram does not come at any cost. The tram's budget overruns are indicative of other lesser-known challenges we have faced with this unique project.
When I became the city's transportation commissioner last July, the tram project was four months behind schedule, woefully understaffed and operating with a budget whose costs were changing week to week. Since the project was assigned to me, I have made changes to get it under control:
I took a hands-on approach, participating in nearly all of the tram board meetings. In August, I added five members to the board. In response to complaints about my active involvement from some veteran board members, I politely reminded them that the board is merely advisory to the City Council.
Last October, The Oregonian wrote in an editorial: "Commissioner Sam Adams, who oversees the Transportation Bureau, must work out a fair distribution, without compromising the tram's design or sabotaging the riverside trail, affordable housing and neighborhood amenities. . . ."
I agree. So through the early winter months, despite opposition from the Portland Development Commission, I helped negotiate a deal that guarantees public benefits such as more affordable housing, a streetcar extension and neighborhood park improvements.
In November, I replaced the part-time staff with a full-time, experienced project manager. In January, I ousted the staff that knowingly provided the City Council with bad cost information. My City Council colleagues endorsed that action.
We have cut $9.6 million in costs from the project while protecting its safety and design integrity.
To keep my promises to the hillside neighbors, I lobbied in Washington, D.C., to secure federal funding for a pedestrian bridge over Interstate 5.
Last December, Mayor Tom Potter and I asked the PDC to pay for an outside audit of the project, the findings of which validated many of the decisions we have already made to get it under control.
Next, we are digging into the audit recommendations. We will bid out the operations contract and double-check assumptions about maintenance costs. And I will continue to ask tough questions and make changes that I believe are right -- even if they inadvertently anger the PDC and powerful developers -- because as important as the South Waterfront district is to the city, the public/private partnership that is building it must also be accountable.
I believe the tram remains the best transportation option to link the South Waterfront to Oregon Health & Sciences University. My support for the tram, however, is not a blank check. Portland taxpayers have pledged $3.5 million for the tram, and we are not legally obligated to put any more money into it.
As lead negotiator, I expect the PDC to deliver on the City Council's Dec. 2, 2005, directive to fund a package of South Waterfront public benefits, not just the tram's budget gap.
In our first round of negotiations, I learned that the city could reduce fees to save OHSU $2.5 million. Those savings, along with the $5 million the PDC has already provided to OHSU, fortifies my belief that the remaining tram budget gap should be funded by OHSU and the property owners.
Meanwhile, as the funding gets sorted out, my new team and I will continue to work double-time to complete the tram.
Sam Adams is a Portland city commissioner.
Posted by Sam Adams on February 9, 2006
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Comments by site visitors
Sorry Sam, I don't believe it - or should I ask, so where IS your line in the sand??? If I were in your shoes they crossed my line (in the sand) ages ago. Ever addressed the operating and maintenance costs??? I guess it's just the "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it" mentality.
No Sam, I truly believe that regardless of the price the tram will be completed - mark my words. Oh, you can also add that the price tag will even be more than what it is now; and it's way too high right now.
Posted by: Michael_the_Archangel | Feb 11, 2006 2:43:54 PM
Sam - A couple weeks ago, I posted here about my concern for the tram costs. You replied that the issue of stopping construction was being investigated to identify if that was an option. According to the memo posted at bojack, it seems the city has no obligation to complete the tram as it is severely overbudget. So my question is, now that that option is on the table, is it being seriously considered? Or was that never really a possibility in your eyes?
Thanks,
Larry
Posted by: Larry | Feb 14, 2006 12:31:41 PM
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I am not a tram suporter but I appreciate how you have tried to turn this project around, sam. please don't let tram's bloating budget eat up the funds for traffic improvements in the hillside neighborhoods
Posted by: Brenda | Feb 11, 2006 10:45:03 AM