Reliever Route---Upcoming Schedule

We have some more information on the reliever route, includng a specific schedule. This is a project I have been paying a lot of attention to, as it is a project whose costs will exceed $20 million dollars. Because of the potential cost and scope of this project, I want to hear from people in my district about it.

First the schedule:

• January 17th---The preliminary engineering study became available.
• January 24th (7:00 a.m.)---The Public Works and Executive Committee will be holding a joint meeting at the County Fair Park to discuss the engineering study.
• January 31st (6:30 p.m.)---Public listening session at the Hartford Town Hall related to the engneering study.
• Week of Febuary 6th---Joint meeting of the Public Works and Executive Committees to dicuss the economic impact study.
• February 28th (6:30 p.m.)---Public listening session at the Hartford Union High School related to the economic impact study.
• Week of March 6th---Public Works Committee meeting to consider the reliever route project, and adoption of Route 11.
• March 14th (7:30 a.m.)---County Board meeting to consider the reiever route project if approved by the Public Works Committee.  At his meeting, we will only be looking at the route, and not how we will fund it.

So with the current schedule, on March 14th I finally get my turn to decided if we will be proceeding with the reliever route.  I remain undecided on this issue, but a concern is that the engineering study increased the projected cost to $23.9 million dollars.  This engineering study is called a "30% study" which means that 70% of the details remain unstudied

At this point, I think that I will be deciding this issue based on the following criteria:

1. Which is greater, a) the cost of the project and its negative impacts on the agricultural community of Washington County or b) The potential for increasing the economic growth (new businesses) in Hartford as well as the potential to avert economic losses (businesses leaving) in Hartford.  In other words, does the County gain more than we lose?
2. Will the reliever route receive adequate use, or is it a potential boon-doggle (like Milwaukee's trolley or "streetcar")?  This is a concern I have been evaluating since the beginning of my review of the reliever route project.
3. What do my neighbors in West Bend believe?  IF YOU LIVE IN DISTRICT 3 IN WEST BEND, I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.

No Reliever Route Meeting

This evening I attended a meeting of the No Reliever Route group.  They are a group of citizens who will be affected by the highway 60 reliever route, if it is approved, and they are banding together to oppose the Reliever Route that is being proposed.  County Board Chairman Rick Gundrum.

I appreciated the opportunity to hear their concerns about this proposal, and the courtesy they showed me.  I met a lot of very nice people at the meeting, people who I would be happy to call my neighbors.  I heard a lot of good questions asked by them, and many of those questions mirror questions I also have related to this project.

I have not decided yet how I will vote on this proposal, I am waiting for the last key piece of information, the economic impact study.  Right now the timetable that is being published for the joint Executive Board and Public Works Committee meeting next week Tuesday indicates that the full County Board may finally get a chance to weigh in on this proposal for the March meeting.