Letter to the Editor: City Council Should Continue Transit Center Project

The following letter was submitted to Patch by Ellen Hodorek on behalf of Troy Residents Unified for a Strong Troy (TRUST).

Dear Madam Mayor and Members of Troy City Council:

Troy Residents Unified for a Strong Troy (TRUST) strongly urges the Troy City Council to approve taking the Troy Multi-modal Transit Center plans forward to the design phase. A “yes” vote at Monday night’s meeting will be the perfect holiday gift, not only to the City of Troy, but also to the region, for years to come. 

The loudly and often-claimed argument that turning these funds back to the federal government will help the debt crisis is bogus. The truth is that these funds will simply be invested in another community that has the vision to use the dollars accordingly. In other words, our children will still be stuck with the debt, but the funds and the future benefits will have gone to another community.  We paid these federal taxes and this project is a logical, well-researched use of those tax dollars, wisely invested right here in our own back yard.

We've all recently learned that the light-rail line on Woodward Avenue between downtown Detroit and Eight Mile is being scrapped in favor of a system of high-speed city and suburban buses. We implore you not to use this as an excuse for abandoning the Transit Center project. The fact of the matter is that the justification for the Troy Multi-modal Transit Center never included any projections from the light rail system. The possibility of providing a node for commuting via rail was icing, but never the cake.  The justification for the project is based purely on long distance rail. 

The interaction between the Transit Center and the bus system is beneficial for all parties: it will reduce costs for the bus system by providing a northern suburb node and the additional transit options will make Troy a more attractive location for businesses and will help fill the empty commercial and industrial properties with tax-paying tenants.   

The Transit Center is a logical, thoughtful piece of Troy’s Master Plan, not a fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants project. We applaud Mayor Pro Tem Maureen McGinnis and Councilmen Jim Campbell and Dane Slater for their pragmatic thinking on this matter.  With all due respect, but also with appropriately anxious candor, we urge the rest of  City Council to step away from any ideologically-based thinking to look at what is truly best for the residents and businesses of Troy.  

We plead with you to keep this investment – our tax dollars – right here to help ensure a strong Troy. 

Sincerely,
Troy Residents Unified for a Strong Troy

Troy Patch accepts letters to the editor. Please include your hometown when writing. Letters may be edited. Send to editor Jen Anesi at jen.anesi@patch.com.