There are so many things to be concerned about this spring. Here are some in no special order.
How will the Pajaro Valley School District handle the stress of cutting $5 million from the annual budget, as parents and students fear losing teachers and classes. The district is the area’s largest at 27,000 students and it’s a prognosticator of what will happen to other area districts, as state and federal budgets are cut and the county has become so unaffordable that districts are losing students (600 in PVUSD). Not to mention the numbers of students they will be losing as the current administration has made immigrants the enemy.
Parents are upset, teachers are scared and being laid off, students are frustrated and we don’t see much to be hopeful about. Public schools are so important for those who can’t afford private ones.
How, in light of a struggling economy, can our county continue spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a train that is unlikely to happen anytime soon?
In a recent meeting, the county’s Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission showed the bill for fixing or replacing old wooden train bridges across the 32-mile proposed track. The cost is $980 million to replace 28 bridges and fix five others. Now, figure the costs of new steel for modern tracks, buying the trains, maintaining them, hiring drivers and taking care of more infrastructure. Some estimate that at another $800 million. Rounding up, we can look at costs of around $2 billion – money the county clearly doesn’t have. It can’t even fix the streets that are deteriorating and dangerous.
At a recent Transportation Commission meeting, only one member voted against continuing the rail and trail proposal on the table now. We salute County Supervisor Kim De Serpa for showing fiscal responsibility, while the others are chasing a quixotic dream. De Serpa said she’s not against the train but wanted the RTC to first focus on building the trail portion of the proposed rail/trail, even if it means removing the tracks for now.
That’s the proposal we suggest you support. We can build a trail quickly and more affordably and when there’s enough money and public will, we can build the rail section. That’s happened in other cities and makes sense for this county, which has already spent tens of millions of dollars and has only opened a little more than a mile of trail and only three miles of trail have been constructed. One 0.7-mile section under development from Bay Avenue to the Wharf is costing $16 million.
That’s more than five times the typical $3-4 million per mile that similar trails cost nationwide. Talk about ill-spent and ill-thought-out spending.
Word is officials fear that if they replace the rail with a trail until we can actually pay for one, the public will no longer want to replace the trail when the time comes. If there’s a need and money for a train, the county will come up with it.
On the bright side: Growing Up in Santa Cruz is planning a kid’s restaurant review issue in June, letting locals and tourists know the best places to bring kids. We’re also going to have an ice cream month in September. Details to come. Which of these names do you like for the section? Do you have one to add?
Meals Without Meltdowns: A Parent’s Guide to Dining Out with Kids in Santa Cruz
Messy, Loud & Loving It: A Parent’s Guide to Kid Friendly Eats in Santa Cruz
Where to Eat With Kids (Without Losing Your Mind): The Ultimate Family Friendly Santa Cruz Restaurant Guide
Goldfish Are Not a Meal: The Best Kid-Friendly Restaurants in Santa Cruz
No Tantrums, Just Tasty Bites: The Best Kid-Approved Eats in Santa Cruz
Finally…Kids Day is May 3, with kids taking over downtown Santa Cruz and strutting their stuff while local businesses show off their best activities for kids over the summer and the rest of the year.
Write us at editor@growingupsc.com
Thanks for reading.
Brad Kava,
Editor and Publisher
Brad Kava is the editor and publisher for Growing Up in Santa Cruz.
