Everyone Is Knocking at JTA. But No One is Home.

Started by Metro Jacksonville, May 29, 2009, 01:20:33 PM

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Metro Jacksonville

May 29, 2009, 01:20:33 PM
Everyone Is Knocking at JTA.  But No One is Home.

Yesterday, the enterprising livebloggers of Metrojacksonville.com intended to bring to our readers the inner workings of the JTA Board.

Our plans revolved around attending the monthly meeting of the Board of Directors. (The third Thursday of every month) in which all issues and initiatives and programs developed by the JTA are discussed and voted on for approval.

After two years of being told what deadbeat dads and slow moving dinosaurs this semi mythical board is, we looked forward to documenting for ourselves the machinations of The Little Train That Can't."


Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-may-everyone-is-knocking-at-jta-but-no-one-is-home

BridgeTroll

#1
May 29, 2009, 01:49:07 PM
Great article Stephen... This needs more publicity.  Nothing like a bit of embarassment to get the ball... er... train a rolling...
In a boat at sea one of the men began to bore a hole in the bottom of the boat. On being remonstrating with, he answered, "I am only boring under my own seat." "Yes," said his companions, "but when the sea rushes in we shall all be drowned with you."

Doctor_K

#2
May 29, 2009, 02:00:11 PM
So the people who run JTA are:
2 Lawyers
2 Engineers/contractors
1 Golf-course real estate mogul
1 Banker/financier
1 utility contractor

I know sometimes I miss the boats going across the river (as it were), but shouldn't there be, I don't know, a Transportation Planner and/or an Urban Planner on the Executive Board?  Someone who, if on said Board, I could look at this list and go "oh, someone who knows what they're doing and has a relavent background to serve in said position." 

I mean no disrespect to any of these people or their respective professions, but I'd really like to know how any of these credentials trump being involved with and disciplined in Transportation/Transit, Urban, and regional planning and design.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create."  -- Albert Einstein

BridgeTroll

#3
May 29, 2009, 02:06:45 PM
You dont suppose they canceled the meeting because they knew MetroJax would be there live blogging do you?
In a boat at sea one of the men began to bore a hole in the bottom of the boat. On being remonstrating with, he answered, "I am only boring under my own seat." "Yes," said his companions, "but when the sea rushes in we shall all be drowned with you."

Tripoli1711

#4
May 29, 2009, 02:43:45 PM
I have not seen anything about JTA missing the meeting in the Times Union.  I am all but certain there has been nothing on the news either, but I don't watch the local news as much as I should.  Whether one is a proponent of rail or not, I think the average citizen would be pretty appalled to hear our local TRANSIT agency and nobody from the City were present at this meeting.  Regardless of whether someone cares about rail or public transportation one iota, they should be fired up that an agency consuming millions of our tax dollars a year is run with such incompetence and/or apathy.

Tripoli1711

#5
May 29, 2009, 03:02:45 PM
That surprises me.  My point partially was this:  Exposing dereliction of public servants moves copy off the racks.  Another casualty in the death of investigative journalism.  Imagine if it was the T-U or Channel 4 who were planning to ask the same questions you were prepared to ask.  Think they would have gotten stood up?

Lunican

#6
May 29, 2009, 03:04:26 PM
So when is the next JTA Board meeting?

BridgeTroll

#7
May 29, 2009, 03:09:47 PM
The board minutes should be public record and available to any who wishes to see them.  Perhaps it would be helpful to see what they have been talking about in past meetings...
In a boat at sea one of the men began to bore a hole in the bottom of the boat. On being remonstrating with, he answered, "I am only boring under my own seat." "Yes," said his companions, "but when the sea rushes in we shall all be drowned with you."

BridgeTroll

#8
May 29, 2009, 03:15:05 PM
QuoteSo when is the next JTA Board meeting?

According to the JTA website it is 25 June...

http://www.jtaonthemove.com/Calendar/showPage.aspx?Sel=7

That date is carved in stone and unalterable... :) ::)
In a boat at sea one of the men began to bore a hole in the bottom of the boat. On being remonstrating with, he answered, "I am only boring under my own seat." "Yes," said his companions, "but when the sea rushes in we shall all be drowned with you."

thelakelander

#9
May 29, 2009, 03:19:08 PM
Here is the list of workshops:

High speed rail and intercity passenger rail workshops, regarding the federal stimulus money:

• Wednesday: Charlotte, NC

• Thursday: Orlando

• May 27: Seattle

• May 28: Sacramento

• May 29: Houston

• June 1: Chicago

• June 2: Philadelphia



What's the chance that we'll be sending a Jax delegation to Chicago or Philly to make up for the regional meetings we missed in Charlotte and Orlando?


"A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life." - Muhammad Ali

Lunican

#10
May 29, 2009, 03:26:43 PM
Even if JTA went to Chicago or Philly, what are the chances that anyone at those meetings would want to talk about Florida?

BridgeTroll

#11
May 29, 2009, 03:30:58 PM
While exploring the JTA site I found this... JTA's Streetcar study from September 2008...

http://www.jtafla.com/pdf/Streetcars/finalReport-Streetcar2-092608.pdf
In a boat at sea one of the men began to bore a hole in the bottom of the boat. On being remonstrating with, he answered, "I am only boring under my own seat." "Yes," said his companions, "but when the sea rushes in we shall all be drowned with you."

thelakelander

#12
May 29, 2009, 03:39:40 PM
We published the final draft a few months ago:

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-jan-streetcars-coming-to-downtown-jacksonville

Did you see anything in it different from the document that appeared on this site?
"A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life." - Muhammad Ali

thelakelander

#13
May 29, 2009, 03:40:21 PM
Quote from: Lunican on May 29, 2009, 03:26:43 PM
Even if JTA went to Chicago or Philly, what are the chances that anyone at those meetings would want to talk about Florida?

"A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life." - Muhammad Ali

JeffreyS

#14
May 29, 2009, 03:57:37 PM
Quote from: Lunican on May 29, 2009, 03:26:43 PM
Even if JTA went to Chicago or Philly, what are the chances that anyone at those meetings would want to talk about Florida?

Even if they just went and said Jax is interested.  That would pacify me.  Come on everyone loves Chi-town if your in luck the Cards will be in town to beat the Cubs.
Lenny Smash
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