DavidsonNews.net

Randy Kincaid, right, speaks at Wednesday’s meeting, as co-chair Gary Knox listens. (David Boraks photo)

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

CORNELIUS - The North Mecklenburg-South Iredell Transportation Task Force spent part of its weekly meeting Wednesday revising a joint statement that will strongly endorse the $261 million North Corridor Commuter Rail project. The statement also is expected to outline ways the towns can pay for their share of the project and to recommend formation of a permanent regional transportation and planning organization.

The draft presented Wednesday is not final, but it appears likely to show a unified front among the towns of Mooresville, Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville in support of the rail project.

“The tone of it is very positive,” Randy Kincaid, former Davidson mayor and task force chair said as the group began working on the draft. “It commits this task force to say that we want to proceed with all due speed toward transit.”

The apparent four-town agreement comes as the North Corridor project approaches a key milestone: The Charlotte City Council on Feb. 25 will vote whether to approve an $8.5 million contract to start engineering on the line. The engineering work will give the towns a clearer picture of the costs for the 25 mile line, which would run from Charlotte north to Mount Mourne, just north of Davidson.

A final report from the task force about a wide range of transportation issues is expected by April 1.

SEEKING CONSENSUS

Wednesday’s Cornelius Town Hall session was the latest in a planned three-month series of meetings of the task force, formed in December by the four towns’ mayors.

For the past seven weeks, the committee of elected officials, planners, businesspeople, and citizens has discussed all aspects of regional transportation. At the Feb. 6 meeting, the group began discussing the rail project, including funding alternatives, with the help of David Carol, the North Corridor project manager for Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS).

On Wednesday, Mr. Carol said the issue for the four towns is “are we going to have commuter rail? Is there a consensus among the towns around the issue?” The joint statement considered Wednesday “is an affirmation of that, and becomes a speaking document to approach the other funding partners.”

Task force members agreed Wednesday that joint action is needed to encourage the support and participation of potential partners in the project, including CATS, the city of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and the state.

HUNTERSVILLE IN?

Some Huntersville town commissioners have been opposed to the rail project. For some, it is philosophical, but for others, it has been over questions about the financing.

Huntersville Commissioner Charles Jeter, a task force member, said Wednesday he thinks the Huntersville Town Board can reach a consensus on the rail project under the funding scenario presented by Mr. Carol last week. He also assumes Mecklenburg County and the state are involved. (See our Feb. 8 report, “Can towns help speed rail project?”)

“I have never been an overwhelming supporter of this rail line,” Mr. Jeter said. “However on the financing model that we were showed last week, I was amazed at how the financing works out. I hope that we can get the state and the county … to play ball. I was really amazed by how financially do-able it was.”

COUNTY QUESTIONS

But the rail project won’t necessarily have smooth sailing. Karen Bentley, the county commissioner from District 1, which includes the north Mecklenburg towns, was at Wednesday’s meeting and briefly threw a bit of cold water on the gathering when Mr. Jeter asked her if it’s safe to assume the county will participate.

“I wouldn’t assume anything,” Ms. Bentley replied.

“I don’t want to put you on the spot,” Mr. Jeter pressed. “Can we count on the county?”

“I cannot speak for my board,” Ms. Bentley said, noting that the county faces a long list of financial demands.

“How about yourself Karen?” task force co-chair Gary Knox asked.

“I am not prepared to make a statement,” she said.

Mr. Jeter said the towns will need to lobby to ensure all the potential partners are involved. “The political will to get this done in Huntersville is exponentially higher, in fact do-able, which surprises many people after the election, very do-able with those numbers. Obviously with less other partners participating, the political will changes.”

“We really gotta make sure we hit those partners, because they really hold the future of this in their hands,” Mr. Jeter said.

MEETINGS CONTINUE

The task force meets again next Wednesday with police chiefs from the four towns to discuss accidents on I-77 and traffic signal coordination. For a full schedule of topics, CLICK HERE>

Meanwhile, some mayors and local officials from the four towns are planning to attend the Feb. 25 Charlotte City Council meeting to show support for the engineering contract which will be up for a vote.

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