I sent an e-mail to the mayor's office today regarding the effort to reallocate Teco Line Whiting Street extension funds. Taking the time to complete the mayor office's e-mail form in support of preventing that reallocation is critical. By this action, whether through temporary insanity or something else, it is obvious HART is not looking out for the streetcar at present. We have to step up and make sure the mayor knows where we stand and encourage her to de-thorn this thicket through her influence.

Hi, I am writing to encourage support for the Teco Line Streetcar's Whiting Street extension. As you are aware, major funding for the extension is set to be reallocated as fodder to a common bus line. The $900,000 federal grant to extend the current streetcar line, however, is a capital investment that profoundly and significantly enables the declared objectives of this mayor office's to urbanize the city's core, enhance livability, and provide improved mass transit options.

By contrast, the Teco Line Whiting Street extension will live forever and thus simply cannot be hampered over such trite conditions as those we are experiencing now. The problem the city faces is complicated, yes, but these funds were considered a staple of stability in our progress toward a transit rich Tampa. These funds were clearly obtained with great pride and with great expectation that they would be used for the very purpose in which they were fought for, which was the Teco Line Whiting Street extension. To think nothing would be done to avert their misuse would be disappointing and frustrating. This mayor's office can, and hopefully will, make a dramatic difference in the outcome. I appreciate your consideration and thank you for your time.

David Pinero, Publisher

http://www.tamparail.org

As well, the MPO needs to, as the earlier report on this matter puts it, "concur" with HART's intent, in order for this disastrous decision to actually carry. I'll post when I've sent them an e-mail as well, but you can get your head start by sending a message to mpo@plancom.org.

If you want a year-back perspective on this, consider this report on the Tampa City Council's decision to approve the Whiting Street Extension just last year. We've worked hard to concentrate this much political support, so badgering the local transit agency to make it mean something is an unexpected turn of events to say the least.