Alliance Members,
We just wrapped up our second weekly accountability meeting with City leadership. Here is the breakdown of the meeting: 1. The Good$1 Parking: The City has committed to launching $1 parking in three corridor garages by Mid-April. We are currently reviewing the signage they will use to direct your customers to these spots. The Map Fix: Apple Maps and Waze are now updated in real-time to show construction closures. There is a technical hurdle with Google Maps, but the City’s team is working on a fix to integrate them as well. Safety Audits: The City shared photo evidence of unsafe conditions they identified and corrected this week: a direct result of our pressure. Signage Menu: Next week, the City will bring a preview of signage options. These will be part of the upcoming This Way campaign. Ultimately, you will be able to select the style and placement of signs that best help customers find your front door. One Number to Rule Them All: Some of you may already be familiar with Wendy Thompson from HDR. She has been and will be the best person to call for any streetcar related issues. If you have any questions about logistics, timelines, anything specific, don’t hesitate to reach out to her. Per our request, the City is going to print up magnets with her contact information so everybody and their employees will have that number handy whenever anything arises. Wendy Thompson’s number is 402.300.3180 Text Alerts: In an effort to more efficiently spread the word on construction updates, there is now a text alert system you can sign up for; you put in your number and what neighborhood you want alerts for and then you’ll only get the stuff that’s pertinent to you. That website is https://omahastreetcar.us11.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=e220...
2. The Bad
The Mayor’s office has definitively said "No" to direct financial aid, calling it "unconstitutional" to provide grants to private businesses.They maintain this stance despite reallocating $35 million in sewer fees and $61 million in total non-bond funding to pay for the project itself. They have the mechanism; they just haven't made our survival a priority. 3. The UglyThe Governor: We received a brush-off letter from Governor Pillen’s office. We are still pursuing a few sympathetic leads in Lincoln, but we are not waiting for a savior from the State. Fiscal Sponsorship: Our initial lead has declined to sponsor us. I am meeting with several other organizations next week to find a partner that can help us manage a future stabilization fund once we break the City’s funding stalemate.
What’s Next?
Katie and I will meet with the Mayor’s team at the same time next week. My goal is to walk out of that meeting with more info on the This Way campaign and exactly how it can serve you best.
While we are hitting a lot of walls in finding solutions, we are not giving up. We will use these weekly meetings to hold their feet to the fire on safety while we hunt for the funding you deserve.
Clark Ross
Chairperson
Streetcar Impact Alliance
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