[BATN] Capitola-Aptos tourist trolley report presented
10/17 Santa Cruz Sentinel
(See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/ ) An automated scan found text
relevant to the South Bay Area. E-mail addresses are de-spammed with [at].
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Published Friday, October 17, 2003, in the Santa Cruz Sentinel
Environmental study of tourist trolley presented to public
By Heather Boerner
A tourist rail line between Capitola and Aptos could create serious
effects for nearby residents, including noise and air pollution,
according to the findings of a preliminary environmental report
released Thursday.
The report, a signal of what will be studied in an extensive
environmental review of the proposed tourist trolley line, platforms
and parking, is available for public comment for 30 days.
An evening meeting will be held Nov. 6 in Seacliff to get more
information from the public. The meeting is designed to give residents
a chance to add to the list of things to be studied. Today, the
commission will also send out letters to everyone who lives within 500
square feet of the rail line inviting them to the meeting and
describing the project.
The tourist trolley is proposed to cover a little more than 3 miles,
with a possible extension of 2 miles to Seascape Resort. The study
envisions it running 120 days a year between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. at a
top speed of 25 mph.
The commission would spend $11 million to buy and make improvements to
the right-of-way on the Union Pacific track and hire a private train
operator to run the trolley. Roaring Camp Railroad in Felton and
Sierra Railroad Co. have said they would apply for the job.
The draft study is available to the public on-line at www.sccrtc.org,
at public libraries within the trolley's proposed route and at the
commission's office on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz.
[BATN: The 2.8mb PDF can be found at
<http://www.sccrtc.org/packet/2003/0309/w0309-05a.pdf>
See also 58kb March 2003 "Recreation Rail Options Preliminary Analysis"
<http://www.sccrtc.org/pdf/RecRailAnalysis.pdf>
and the 232kb March 2003 EIR RFP
<http://www.sccrtc.org/pdf/RecRailEIR-RFP.pdf>
]
The plan calls for six stops, each one with a platform and a bus
shelter-type building. Those stops would be in Capitola Village, New
Brighton State Beach, Seacliff State Beach, Aptos Village, and
possibly at Jade Street Park and Seascape. At Thursday's Regional
Transportation Commission meeting, Executive Director Linda Wilshusen
said the Jade Street Park site might be relocated to Cliff Drive
because of the heavy parking use at Jade Street Park on weekends.
The Seascape stop is preliminary because the line may not extend
beyond Aptos Village.
The meeting will be held 7 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Seacliff Inn, 7500 Old
Dominion Court, Aptos.
What's next
A Nov. 6 community meeting will be held to discuss the proposed $11
million tourist trolley line between Capitola and Aptos.
Contact Heather Boerner at hboerner [at] santa-cruz.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This article was forwarded from BATN because the following keywords were found.
"santa cruz" (6)
The following terms counted against the signal-to-noise ratio
used in the automated decision to forward this.
"sierra" (2x2.0)