By: Diane Benjamin
Since the Connect Transit Board failed to meet in March, at the April 28th meeting stats and financials for February and March were presented.
April 2020 Board Meeting Packet
Ridership was down since the college kids are mostly missing and businesses are closed:
A graph like the above was not included in the packet for February.
Finances for both months were included:
March:
February:
Plans are going ahead for a downtown Bloomington transfer station:
Requesting Federal tax dollars:
Requesting State tax dollars:
Other:
Connect is using tax dollars to lobby for more tax dollars:
This insanity has to be stopped. Connect Transit must be self sufficient or stop the buses. And adding an expensive transfer station has got to be the worst idea yet. They want to lose money at a faster rate expecting taxpayers to pick up the tab. No No No
The purple C route hasn’t been influenced by the co-vid… still 1 to 2 people per viewed.
Anyone… I mean ANYONE who thinks building a downtown Bloomington transfer station is a good idea needs to be netted and taken in for mental evaluation.
At a time when an economic bomb as been dropped on Bloomington-Normal and the damage caused by this bomb is still unknown, even talking about building a multi-million facility (for anything) is insane.
Our economy is in trouble. Businesses will close. Jobs will be lost forever. Our population is likely to decline. We could be at the beginning of a spiral downward, as GDP falls and businesses close.
Dude, the unions need work. The private sector isn’t giving them much.
Oh yea… They need a nice big publicly financed pork project to get their claws into…
Why am I not shocked they are investing in a transfer center which will serve to increase the warped manor they count riders. Connect obviously did not hear when the community up roared for returned coverage to areas where low income, non-student transit dependent riders live and need to go. What the F$%# was the point of the Working Group. The Connect board needs replaced.
Renner and Koos need replaced – they appointed the Board members.
Connect Transit is a demonstrable failure. It’s an ideological dream that will continue to exist in order to protect and enrich those employed by Connect Transit. Let’s face it, the building of a transfer station is a make-work project for the unions and vendors/friends of government selling them supplies. The transfer station is illogical from both a business perspective and from a public service perspective i.e. providing transportation as a government service to those most vulnerable or in need. The Downtown cabal is full of speculators that want the City (meaning taxpayers) to fund their rehabbing and turnaround of the neighborhood. Few are willing to put any skin in the game. Thanks for calling out the noticeable disparity in funding for this project between the feds ($8 million) and the overall project ($10-$14). That’s at least $2 million of local tax dollars. Of course, how many people believe that it will actually come in on budget? Finally, where’s the outrage from the liberals about special interest and lobbyists?! I guess it’s okay if it’s your cause. This project is a disaster in the making. The political optics of a multimillion-dollar unnecessary construction boondoggle never look good…but in the current environment, there could be some serious political consequences.
Connect’s core purpose was supposed to be providing transportation. The current CT Board are hand picked minions of Koos and Renner. Their directive has been to use their appointed positions to build structures and grow government to further two competing egotistical agendas. Unfortunately this comes at the expense of the needy. Why aren’t the liberals up in arms over this? I thought they were the party looking out for those in need.
Only when they want your vote.