All Aboard Ohio Rail Service Updates

[irishbobcat]

There is so much going on that I'm going to have to summarize it!

ODOT budget hearings due next week

Next Tuesday and Wednesday, the Ohio General Assembly is due to hold hearings on ODOT's 2010-11 budget. ODOT is requesting funding for 3-C Corridor "starter" passenger rail service, plus planning funding to make three other Ohio Hub corridors eligible for construction funding under the new federal passenger rail development program. Please submit oral or written testimony in support of rail development and public transportation to the House and Senate Transportation Committees:
http://www.senate. state.oh. us/committees/ com_highways. html
http://www.house. state.oh. us/index. php?option= com_displaycommi ttees&task=2&type=Regular&committeeId= 121
(NOTE: the links may break in your e-mail, please copy and paste both parts in your web browser)


Congrats to new committee chairs

Speaking of the General Assembly, All Aboard Ohio congratulates Youngstown Rep. Bob Hagan (D-60) on being named chairman of the Ohio House of Representatives' Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. Rep. Hagan is a longtime friend of rail development, a legislative member of the Ohio Rail Development Commission, and a CSX locomotive engineer.

All Aboard Ohio also congratulates Toledo Rep. Peter Ujvagi (D-47) for being named chairman of the Transportation and Justice Subcommittee of the House's Finance and Appropriations Committee. A native of Budapest, Hungary, Rep. Ujvagi understands the importance that rail development has had on Europe's economy and support's passenger rail improvements here in Ohio.

Those committee assignments give us even higher hopes for Ohio's rail future following Governor Ted Strickland advocating passenger rail development in his State of the State speech, and former All Aboard Ohio board member Jolene Molitoris being appointed director of the Ohio Department of Transportation.


All Aboard Ohio's 5th Annual Legislative Summit

Make your reservations today for All Aboard Ohio's foremost event of the year. And with all that's going on this year, this is the event to attend! It will be April 29 at the Downtown Columbus YWCA's Huntington Room. See http://www.allaboar dohio.org/ cms/index. php for the agenda and registration. Cost is $50 for members, $75 for non-members (includes a discounted one-year membership in All Aboard Ohio) and $25 for students. Also, featured sponsorships are available for $500 and summit partnerships for $100 per company/organizatio n. For details, e-mail kenprendergast@ allaboardohio. org


Federal stimulus offers huge boost for passenger trains!

A month ago, the U.S. House Appropriations Committees reported out the stimulus bill with just $1.1 billion for passenger rail. Thanks to all the calls, e-mails, faxes and letters sent in support of rail investment, Congress and President Obama have increased stimulus funding for passenger rail to a truly transformative $9.3 billion!! Now THAT is change we can believe in! Ohio's existing and proposed passenger rail services could see funding from the stimulus. But I need you to speak up again... Gov. Strickland wants your stimulus input at:
http://www.recovery .ohio.gov/


West Shore Corridor is on track

Thanks to Lorain County Commissioner Betty Blair, an agreement was brokered to unite differing approaches to pursuing commuter rail along the lakeshore communities in Cuyahoga, Lorain and Erie counties. Business leaders agreed to commit $34,000 they raised as part of the non-federal funding share of an Alternatives Analysis, the federally required first step in the transportation planning process. U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton secured a $344,000 earmark last year from the U.S. Department of Transportation. But to tap it requires a 20 percent non-federal match, or $70,000. With the unified approach achieved by Commissioner Blair, All Aboard Ohio hopes the remaining non-federal funding for the Alternatives Analysis will be forthcoming from more sources.


Help us keep up the momentum!

If you think All Aboard Ohio is doing a good job and would like to see us keep it going, then we need your help! Please join All Aboard Ohio, renew your membership or make a donation today at www.allaboardohio. org. All Aboard Ohio Executive Director Ken Prendergast works full-time to make sure the flow of interactive information continues so you can communicate with the right message with the right elected officials at the right time. And we are bringing on a new Communications Director Jenita McGowan starting next week thanks to the support of the Cleveland Executive Fellowship program.

But without more financial support of All Aboard Ohio, there is a very serious risk that we will not be able to continue this level of activity into the summer. I know times are tough, but if just one-fourth of the 2,000 recipients of this e-mail joined All Aboard Ohio or donated $25, $50, $100 or more, it will make a big difference for us. I am confident that we can turn your generosity into the rail development success in 2009 we have sought in Ohio for a long time. Please help us today!

Thank you for your support of All Aboard Ohio.

Best Regards,

Kenneth Prendergast
Executive Director (Interim)
All Aboard Ohio!
12029 Clifton Blvd., Suite 505
Cleveland, OH 44107-2189
(216) 288-4883 cell
(216) 986-6064 office
kenprendergast@ allaboardohio. org
www.allaboardohio. org
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