From Deseret News archives:
City to fill TRAX funding shortfall
The council in April approved an agreement with the Utah Transit Authority that called for the city to pay $8.45 million toward the estimated $32 million TRAX extension, which will bring light-rail trains from the Delta Center to the new hub at 300 South and 600 West.
But when bids for the extension came in, the estimate proved too conservative — by $9.7 million.
On Tuesday, the council voted unanimously to pitch in another $3.41 million for the project.
The council still must decide where it wants the money to come from. The council is considering adding to an already existing sales-tax bond or drawing from the city's general fund.
Part of the city's portion of the funding will go toward building a new light-rail station on 600 West. That project, expected to cost $600,000, cannot be paid for by bonding.
Bids for the project came in even higher than the $41.7 million that has now been allocated. The city and UTA trimmed about $4.8 million from the project by eliminating such things as trees, curb and gutter work, and changing the nature of the rails.
Those cutbacks, Mayor Rocky Anderson's senior adviser D.J. Baxter told the council, were elements of the project that were "on our wish list but not essential" or things that can be added later.
In other business, the council called on the city's Community Development Department to begin working on creating a new policy for honorary street names in response to a higher-than-usual number of name-change requests.
The city will put a moratorium on new name-change applications, but not until after it votes at its Dec. 5 meeting on whether to rename a section of 300 South "Adam Galvez Street," in honor of the 21-year-old Marine corporal and Salt Lake resident killed earlier this year in Iraq, and rename part of 100 South "Japantown Street."
Tony Galvez, Adam Galvez's father, praised 15-year-old Junior Cruz, the East High sophomore who took on the street renaming as his Eagle Scout project.
"What he's done to honor my son has been a blessing to the community," Galvez said. "The attention it's brought to the men and women who serve will bring a higher level of support for the troops."
Cruz was relieved to see the progress after months of frustration, as word of the possible moratorium turned the project into a tougher-than-expected process.
"I feel better that they're going to put it on their agenda," Cruz said. "It's been a long wait, but it's worth it."
Several council members expressed support for the plan.
