Mulligan to Columbus!!!!
Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown Community
Forum Name: Middletown News, Info and Happenings
Forum Description: Discuss any Middletown Ohio area news story.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1528
Printed Date: Nov 25 2024 at 6:07am
Topic: Mulligan to Columbus!!!!
Posted By: VietVet
Subject: Mulligan to Columbus!!!!
Date Posted: Jul 07 2009 at 7:20am
Mayor Mulligan is going to Columbus today to make a presentation as to why the train ought to stop in Middletown. The article says that some of the "selling points" will be that I-75, the airport and the BIKE PATH ????? are within 4 miles of the train stop. WHAT??? Bike path? Will there be that many people interested in that Lawrence? Another point is the downtown area with it's restaurants, shops and hotel within walking distance. WHAT??? Shops? Hotel within walking distance? (Kind of a long walk from the train station to the Manchester isn't it Lawrence?) Think passengers will want to walk that far? Restaurants? OK- the wine place, the Manchester buffet and what others? A commitment to rail officials to have infrastructure around the station. WHAT??? When was the last time we had infrastructure around anything here? And the highly important point- the city has a historic train station WITH ADJACENT PARKING- which, by the way, includes the old vacant dilapidated Office Outfitters building with the steel hauling semis parked in the lot. Very appealing selling point, Lawrence! And finally, the city has those busses that travel to Hamilton- a huge destination for travelers  and the city can "leverage" these busses with rail. Should be strong arguments for that stop and disembarking to downtown Middletown. Don't ya have to have these ammenties in place before you can really sell it Mayor? Can't really do it with cash loan places, junk/trinklet shops and empty lots/empty store fronts can you? The rail people and the passengers are going to be seeing what we the citizens are seeing aren't they? Who's fooling who here? 
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Replies:
Posted By: lrisner
Date Posted: Jul 07 2009 at 11:19am
And one could get Mugged walking to all the available Amenities! |
VietVet wrote:Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jul 07 2009 at 12:17pm
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"A commitment to rail officials to have infrastructure around the station."
This means the Pots holes down by the train station get done before the ones in the neighborhoods. I mean you don't even have a decent Taxi Service if someone wanted to go anywhere and in the winter time where are people if there are any going to walk to....The Manchester. This whole speech is a head scratcher if you know anything about downtown. I can see it now a Tax increase for infrastructure around the Train Station in the hopes 5 -10 people might want to get off and peruse the lovely Downtown Middletown.
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Posted By: Marianne
Date Posted: Jul 07 2009 at 2:06pm
| In the long term, I think communities that are part of an effective public transportation system are going to be more successful than those that don't, which is why I don't see a problem with a passenger line coming through Middletown. In terms of long range planning, it seems like a good option, and I hope city leaders do their best to bring it to Middletown. |
Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: Jul 07 2009 at 2:14pm
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Looking over to the other side of the fence this might not be such a bad idea. If the train comes through perhaps a business or two might consider Middletown since people can come from outside the Middletown workforce via train.(as I shrug my shoulders)
And the tourist ! (And what exactly are the tourist coming to see ?)
But a real good guess would be the train will end up like California's $45 billion dollar boondoggle or Cincinnati's unused Metro-Station or the subway. I really hate being negative but as Gump said,"Stupid is as stupid does". ------------- No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !! |
Posted By: John Beagle
Date Posted: Jul 07 2009 at 4:32pm
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I would use the rail system, but not everyday and not very often. I think most people would use it this way since we all love our cars. In the long run, this would be a financial disaster, in the short run we have no funding so it probably won't happen. ------------- http://www.johnbeagle.com/" rel="nofollow - John Beagle Middletown USA News of, for and by the people of Middletown, Ohio. |
Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: Jul 07 2009 at 6:00pm
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Who owns the gift shop in the present train depot now ? Does the city own it or is that run by an individual ? What will happen to the gift shop ? Will Middletown leaders want to build a new station if the train does go through here ? Will traffic be tied up at central & 122 when the train is in the station ? Will the city have to pay anything to Amtrak for the privilege ? What about the train schedule ? How much is the passenger fee ? Etc...etc...etc. I think before everyone gets on this horse to ride they better ask lots of questions. ------------- No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !! |
Posted By: tomahawk35
Date Posted: Jul 07 2009 at 11:34pm
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The Mayor and his special interest group(not named,what a surprise) have more than enough problems in this town that needs to be addressed and corrected without worrying about the Chattanooga CHOO CHOO. I wonder if this a one day drive up and back or if the taxpayers will be footing a bill for overnite stay at a high dollar hotel with fine dining. Mr. Mayor,your plate is already full, finish what you have own it and then ask for more. |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jul 08 2009 at 6:37am
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The Property is Owned by:
Finkelman Harry A. Inc.
1400 Central Ave.
Middletown, OH 45044
County appraised Value about $58K.
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Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Jul 08 2009 at 7:32am
| Harry A Finkleman aka Rachel Lewitt, the grandaughter who took over when Harry died. Wonder what happened to the Gift Shop folks? The old gift shop quietly slipped out of business. Didn't hear too much on it's demise. |
Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: Jul 08 2009 at 10:17am
It figures that H. Finkleman Inc. owns it,they own almost everything in town. Wonder how much money city council will pay for the depot if we do get the train ? You know they will buy it,so they can demolish it and build a new one. Can't have all those tourist stepping foot into an old depot. ------------- No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !! |
Posted By: John Beagle
Date Posted: Jul 08 2009 at 11:39am
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Mayor Mulligan was quoted on ONN From http://www.10tv.com/live/content/onnnews/stories/2009/07/07/On_The_Right_Track.html?sid=102 - Ohio On The Right Track For RailMore than 120 representatives from Ohio came together. City leaders took turns defending why a train stop should be placed in their community. "We are right along the I-75 corridor. I travel that everyday and we are seeing more and more congestion," said Middletown Mayor Larry Mulligan. ------------- http://www.johnbeagle.com/" rel="nofollow - John Beagle Middletown USA News of, for and by the people of Middletown, Ohio. |
Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Jul 08 2009 at 7:22pm
Then, for goodness sakes, THINK!!! Think about all of the "downtowns" that you talk about that have been "revitalized". Did you ever notice that they are right on an interstate exit??? Did you notice that???
Please start using your head for something besides a hat rack!!! ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: Jul 09 2009 at 4:10pm
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Someone brought it to my attention this morning concerning the new train. New tracks will be laid for this passenger train and new depots will have to be built. The existing tracks I was told can not support a high speed train due to age. So any town/city along the route that wants the train to stop will have to build a new modern depot. The question unanswered is who will pay for the new depots ? Will this money be part of the stimulus or will local tax payers have to foot the bill ? ------------- No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !! |
Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Jul 10 2009 at 3:27am
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You are correct, in a way. There is a federal agency (imagine that) that grades railroad facilities as to maximum allowable speeds allowable on any given section of track. Among the things that they consider are the age and condition of the track work itself; the “degree” of the curves and how they are banked; the number and types of crossings and how they are “guarded”; up-grades and down-grades; the surroundings (urban, suburban, rural); amount of rail traffic; and a slew of other items. I won’t strain my brain trying to list them all, because I think of the readers here (being among the brightest around) already get the idea. To restore, realign, or upgrade the actual rails, ties, tie plates, fish bars, ballast, etc., and to raise and tamp the track to bring it up to snuff is actually the easiest and cheapest part of preparing for a higher speed rating than most of the other items, assuming that the “line” and “grade” of the track and the “crossings” are all within acceptable limits of the new rating. (That is, the curves have a large enough radii and the slopes are not severe, and the lines-of-sight and signaling are adequate.) But there is another reason why I say that someone who is actually familiar with these sorts of projects should be included by the city, instead of just the usual bunch of politicians, headline-grabbers, and know-it-alls. Whoever said that we will be forced to build a new station is correct!!! The mayor, and all of his minions may THINK that our historic Middletown train station is just perfect for the purpose, and that its existence is an asset and a strong point in our favor, but as a matter of fact, it simply is NOT, and wishing will not make it so!!! I will state quite confidently right now that, except possibly for an infrequent special occasion, the existing Middletown train station (the one between Central and Manchester, and between University and Charles) will NEVER be used, in its present form as a regular stop for passenger rail service. I hedge this statement ONLY by adding that IF the modifications REQUIRED for it to be used as such are allowed by the Grand Pooh-Bah of the Commission on Landmarks and Historic Structures allows it, he will be forever exposed as a phony, and both his position and the entire commission must be forever banished from our fair city!!! The ONLY way it could happen is to MOVE the entire structure (either as a whole, or brick by brick) and move it nearly a mile, or more up line or down line from its present location. This would remove it COMPLETELY from our idyllic former downtown with all of the restaurants, shopping and hotels that our mayor so lovingly extolled. No, my friends, while I am all for bringing this line through Middletown, I am only in favor IF the thought and the EXPENSE of trying to use the existing, old, outdated train depot, as will be dictated by the dinosaurs that want to keep our fair city in the dark ages, is abandoned!!! We MUST begin to move FORWARD, not backward, if we want our city to survive. Spending an ungodly sum of OUR grandchildren's money to play "Olde Tyme Train Stoppe" for our wannabee socialites cannot be tolerated.------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: Smokey Burgess
Date Posted: Jul 10 2009 at 3:38am
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Mike -
As a lifelong rail afficionado and a infrequent user of high speed rail service along the Northeast Corridor in the New England states, let me commend you for your analysis of Middletown and the so-called 3-C Corridor Rail Project.
All that you said from a technical and practical standpoint is "right on the button." Your assessment of the situation is timely and pertinent!
Nelson Self
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Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Jul 10 2009 at 7:19am
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Thank you Smokey!
But that alone would not qualify me to speak on the subject.
However, I DID serve as a Resident Enginer for PBDC (Parsons Brinckerhoff, Delew Cather) on the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) project in the mid 1980s, and as Construction Engineer For Raymond Kaiser Engineers on The People Mover at O'Hare.
I also supervised the trackwork installation contracts for a large steel mill modification project in California and a cement plant expansion project in Oklahoma. (Of course, the trackwork on these two projects were relatively small parts (just a few million $$) of those projects, and I just sort of handled them in my spare time. ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: Bwood
Date Posted: Jul 13 2009 at 9:42am
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Middletown City Manager Judy Gilleland said her community is perfect for a train station. "We are centrally located in the middle of Dayton and Cincinnati," she said. She added that a station would attract business and pleasure travelers and Miami University students. The city has a bus system and a regional airport and is close to Interstate 75, she said. "It's not about what the rail system can do for the community but the community for the rail -- it's a win-win," she said. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/07/ohio_communities_lobby_for_pas.html - http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/07/ohio_communities_lobby_for_pas.html - http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/07/ohio_communities_lobby_for_pas.html ------------- Looking for news or information on display technology? If so Visit the http://amonitorblog.blogspot.com/ - Monitor Blog |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jul 13 2009 at 10:19am
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At Least one city official got it right:
"What we are hoping to do with the train is to attract people out of Cleveland," said Bob Murray, economic development director for Riverside, the home of the Air Force museum. "I can't see why anyone would leave Cleveland to travel to Dayton, West Carrollton or Miamisburg. I don't see the attraction."
Murray said that to lure passengers, the train needs to stop in cities with major attractions." |
Posted By: randy
Date Posted: Jul 13 2009 at 10:28am
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Passenger Rail Service We had a good meeting in Columbus with the Ohio Rail Commission. This project needs to jump through several more hoops before the funding is determined. Passenger Rail Service would be a great benefit to our city and conversely, we have a lot to offer as a stop. Proponents of the project seem to fall under the category of “why take from our limited funds for state highways and give to the railroad project?” Good points, all the way around. We will keep fighting for the rail service in Middletown. Taken From The http://www.middletownusa.com/view_news.asp?a=4487 - Middletown's City Managers Report View It Here |
Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: Jul 13 2009 at 2:58pm
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Dig deep into your pockets Middletonians !! The taxes cometh ! Bow your heads and pray therefore to the mighty RAIL which thou hast brought upon thy land. Sacrifice thy first born unto thy great and mighty RAIL so as much will be given and blessed art thou who rideth thy RAIL. Amen ------------- No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !! |
Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: Jul 13 2009 at 3:01pm
------------- No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !! |