Gold Line Board Insists Metro's Measure R Plan Underfunds Foothill Extension

The Gold Line Construction Authority's board of directs has voted to oppose a Metro plan that it says doesn't cover the cost of the Foothill Extension to Claremont.

The MTA board will vote on the proposal to accelerate funding for transportation projects throughout the county at the end of this month and GLCA Chairman Habib Balian says the plan to accelerate transit projects underfunds the Gold Line.
"Acceleration is contingent on Metro’s ability to secure close to $6 billion in federal funding," Balian wrote in an email. "Unfortunately, Metro’s five year old data misrepresents the Foothill Extension project and does not update the total cost estimate or completion year to reflect the project going beyond Azusa."

Here is the GLCA board's full resolution opposing the measure:
This month, the Metro board is considering approval of an Amendment to the 2008 Measure R Expenditure Plan, allowing funds to be made available for select transit capital projects ahead of the year approved by voters in 2008. Metro is also considering an Amendment to the Measure R Ordinance that sets a priority order for accelerated project completion. Both are dependent on the agency being awarded billions of dollars of federal funding.
As required by AB2321 (Measure R’s enabling legislation), the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority submitted to Metro an updated Expenditure Plan for the Metro Gold Line (Pasadena to Claremont) Light Rail Extension transit capital project in April 2013.
The updated Expenditure Plan submitted by the Construction Authority includes the latest project information, including the total estimated project cost ($1.714 billion), the schedule when funds are needed for the segment to Claremont (2016) and the anticipated project completion date to Claremont (2022), as required by statute. The updated information reflects the latest planning information, following award of all contracts for the Pasadena to Azusa segment and environmental clearance of the Azusa to Montclair segment earlier this year. No additional Measure R funding is requested.
Metro’s proposed Measure R Expenditure Plan Amendment ignores the updated Expenditure Plan for the Gold Line (Pasadena to Claremont) Light Rail Extension project, and continues to evade the legislative mandate to complete the project to Claremont. The proposed Measure R Expenditure Plan Amendment is inaccurate, only planning for the first segment of the project from Pasadena to Azusa. 
The “Metro Gold Line (Pasadena to Claremont) Light Rail Extension” was unanimously approved as one of two first priority projects for additional funding (except Federal New Starts funds) by the Metro Board in the 2009 LRTP adoption. The proposed Amendment ignores this important priority commitment and should be amended to provide clear details on how the additional federal funding will impact completion of the Gold Line to Claremont and all other Measure R transit capital projects, including the order of project completion.
WE, THEREFORE, MOVE to Oppose the Measure R Expenditure Plan Amendment and Measure R Ordinance Amendment unless updated to accurately reflect completion of the Metro Gold Line (Pasadena to Claremont) Light Rail Extension as required by statute and the 2009 LRTP first priority order: 
1)    The Measure R Expenditure Plan Amendment must be updated as follows for the Metro Gold Line (Pasadena to Claremont) Light Rail Extension project: (a) the total project cost to complete the voter-mandated project to Claremont must be updated to $1.714 billion; and (b) the plan must include updated project completion (2022) and available funding dates (2016) for completing the line to Claremont.
2)    The updated project completion date (2022) reflects the Metro Board 2009 LRTP approved motion, committing additional funds as a first priority to the Gold Line Foothill Extension to Claremont and the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor projects.