The latest cost estimates from RTD for the FasTracks boondoggle have grown by nearly $1 billion.

The $4.7 billion commuter rail project that Denver area voters approved in 2004 continues to see unprecedented cost increases.  The severely mismanaged project now is forecast to cost taxpayers $7.8 billion, $968.3 million more than the previous estimate.

The Annual Program Evaluation (APE) presented to the RTD Board of Directors this week continues to highlight the failures of the FasTracks program dating back to its conception.  The costs for the project were severely underestimated – many times – and mismanagement has become engrained in the boondoggle.

It was less than one year ago that the 2011 APE painted a dire picture of a project drowning in red ink.  The latest APE tacks on an additional $968.3 million to the cost of the project reflecting more than a 60% increase in what taxpayers were told it would cost originally.

Despite RTD’s promises in recent years to get their cost estimates right, this report shows they still haven’t figured out their math.  It is up in the air as to whether they are incapable of providing accurate estimates or simply too incompetent (I think the latter).

RTD blames the bulk of the latest cost increase (85% of it) on various issues related to the Northwest Rail corridor to Boulder and Longmont.  In a familiar refrain, the district says that as it completes its planning for the corridor, it realizes it is going to cost more.

This should serve as a warning to taxpayers that when RTD moves on to the North Metro corridor and others, cost estimates will certainly increase even further.  Taxpayers were promised something that RTD cannot deliver.

Of particular note is this from the presentation: “These costs assume a successful sales and use tax election in 2012, with Northwest Rail completed by 2024, and all other projects completed by 2020.”

In other words, the only way the boondoggle gets done in a reasonable amount of time is if voters agree in November to take it in the shorts and approve a massive doubling of the tax we are already paying for FasTracks.  The RTD Board will decide whether or not to put the issue on the ballot but the passage of such a measure is far from assured.

RTD’s track record of failing to deliver on its promises and its repeated shortchanging of taxpayers is sure to hurt it.

Adams County voters were the only ones to reject the original TaxTracks measure.  The North Metro line continues to see not only increased costs associated with it, but also cuts in the service that were originally proposed.  This would not seem to bode well for RTD to get the county’s voters to view the program favorably.

Also of big concern for RTD are the recent revelations regarding the Northwest Rail Line.  Cost is of course an issue but what should make Broomfield and Boulder County residents concerned is RTD’s latest idea of cutting rail service to the area entirely to eliminate those cost increases.

Under one proposal the RTD Board is considering, they would, “Remove Northwest Rail Line from the FasTracks program, and replace the commuter rail with expanded BRT [Bus Rapid Transit] in the service area.”

It is interesting to note that RTD says, “BRT would provide more peak and off-peak service than could be provided by the rail.”

So then why the heck are we building rail at all?

Critics of the FasTracks program have said from the start that BRT would have been a better solution across all of the corridors.  BRT provide better, more flexible service and costs less to implement and maintain.

RTD and taxpayers instead have become infatuated with the idea of bright, shiny trains riding the rails despite the fact they don’t do the job as well as BRT and cost far more (especially when someone as incompetent as RTD is running the show).

Boulder Councilwoman KC Becker told the Daily Camera recently, “I look at this and I think, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re just hosed’”

Welcome to the club, Becker.

On the net: 

• Denver Business Journal: Latest construction cost estimate for FasTracks: $7.8 billion

Protect the Internet from censorship - Contact Senators and Congressman and urge them to vote against SOPA / PIPA!

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is sponsoring PIPA in the Senate and Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) is carrying SOPA in the House of Representatives.  The bills are backed by Hollywood and big media ostensibly as a way to stop online piracy and protect copyrights.  They are however bad ideas that could lead to the censorship of websites like Tony’s Rants.

These ineffective and shortsighted bills would place undue burdens on websites and Internet providers.  Any company with an intellectual copyright claim could for example force Google to remove links to an accused site, prevent credit card companies from processing payments to the accused site, and much more.  This could all be done without any legal proceedings at all.

Tony’s Rants takes great care to respect and honor other’s property in written, audio or visual form and we are proud of our efforts to never take liberty with someone else’s hard work.  However, under SOPA / PIPA, our site could be brought down simply if someone posted a comment that contained copyrighted text or linked to a site that hosted copyrighted material.

This simply is unacceptable.  Tony’s Rants will be joining other sites like Wikipedia, Tucows, and Reddit in the blackout to take place tomorrow.

Please watch the video below for more information and contact your Senators and Congressman and urge them to vote against SOPA / PIPA.  You can also learn more about the dangers of SOPA / PIPA via this infographic and at the links below the video.

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

Watch the video · American Censorship page · View the Infographic
Read SOPA on OpenCongress · Read PIPA on OpenCongress

A sweet deal if you can get it. Quality Paving resurfaced the driveway of Adams County Commissioner Alice Nichol's home. (Google)

The first conviction in one of many scandals to rock Adams County in recent years has yielded stunning results.  Dennis Coen, former vice president of Quality Paving, has been found guilty of 62 felonies.

Coen was complicit in a scheme carried out by his employees and Adams County staff that bilked taxpayers out of millions of dollars for work that was never performed.  He will now have a criminal record with 21 counts of forgery, 20 counts of theft, 19 counts of conspiracy to commit theft and two counts of attempting to influence a public servant.

One county employee and a former Quality Paving employee have taken plea deals in the investigation.  Former Adams County public works director Lee Assay and construction manager Sam Gomez are next on the docket and face charges similar to Coen.  Currently on trial is the former owner of Quality Paving, Jerry Rhea.

The scandal has reached the highest levels of county government where the Board of Commissioners approved many of the no-bid contracts that lined the pockets of Quality Paving management and employees.

Adams County Commissioner Alice Nichol is herself a key figure as it was revealed that Quality Paving had resurfaced the driveway at her home, a fact she failed to disclose to investigators.  A special prosecutor is currently delving into her exact role while many of her other questionable dealings have come to light.

The conviction of Coen is certainly notable but it is only one step in rooting out the corruption in Adams County government.  Elected officials and county employees need to continue to be held accountable for their actions.

• Denver Post: Ex-executive of Quality Paving guilty of 62 felonies

Adams County Commissioner Skip Fischer has wisely decided to not seek reelection. All eyes now fall on ethically lacking Alice Nichol and her decision. (Adams County)

Adams County Commissioner Skip Fischer announced this week that he will not seek reelection for a third term.   One of two commissioners now on the board with ties to the county’s scandalous history, Fischer saw the writing on the wall and will slip into history rather than go down in defeat in November.

As a commissioner representing the county’s District 1, Fischer did manage to avoid many of the scandals that plagued current commissioner Alice Nichol and former commissioner Larry Pace.  Fischer however was intimately involved and voted on many questionable deals that have come to light.

The list of scandals that have disgraced the county in recent years is long and not-so distinguished.  While Nichol and Pace were truly the bad seeds on the board, Fischer found himself caught in the middle.

Fischer was aware of what was going on and he certainly was complicit, casting votes without dissention on many key issues like the no bid contracts received by Quality Paving.  However it is our impression that he wanted to do the right thing but simply did not know how to or did not have the guts to take a stand.

Following on Pace’s loss in November 2010, Erik Hansen assumed a seat on the dais and has been working on pushing through reforms to clean up county government.  The moves are commendable but have been slow to take shape and not as extensive as what they should be – likely due to the old guard Fischer and Nichol still maintaining control.

Fischer’s exit opens the door for Adams Count y voters to continue the process of cleaning up the mess in Brighton and install politicians that are worthy of the office.  Voters will need to be wary of who they cast their vote for as they are plenty of members of the Adams Family waiting in the wings to take Fischer’s place and this cannot be allowed.

Will Alice run?

There has not been any official word as to whether or not disgraced Commissioner Alice Nichol will seek reelection.  The rumor mill has it that she is seriously considering running, apparently thinking that Adams County voters are stupid enough to return the ethically challenged commissioner to office.

Challengers are already lining up to knock Nichol off should she decide to seek a third term.  Hanging over her head as well is an investigation being conducted by the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office into her dealings.

The outcome of the investigation matters little as Nichol’s role has been well documented.  She would do well to step aside and save voters the trouble of kicking her butt out.

Thornton City Council tackles chickens and bees rather than urban blight, transportation, the economy and bringing jobs to the city.

With apparently nothing better to do Thornton City Council once again appears set to continue the ‘Boulderization’ of the city.  Its latest efforts revolve around bringing agriculture into a wholly suburban environment and catering to a few residents while impacting everyone.

‘Urban farming’ is a trendy way for yuppie city dwellers to get back to their agricultural roots without having to give up their iPhones, DVRs and shopping malls.  It allows them to foist their greenie ways on the rest of us, get their hands a little bit dirty and feel good about themselves while making the rest of their neighbors suffer.

Thornton considered three aspects of this latest trend including backyard chickens, farming and beekeeping.

Mercifully, after wasting city staff time and taxpayer money, the idea of allowing chickens to be raised in urban backyards died.   Still in the works are the annoyances of tractors and bees in our neighborhoods, issues which create a whole slew of unenforceable regulations and make life miserable for residents.

The issues have been discussed extensively and are likely heading for a public hearing soon.

• On the net: City of Thornton Council Update, Sustainability Options: Bees

On the surface these moves toward so-called “sustainability” seem admirable.  However they all cater to a very small part of the population while impacting many more negatively.  That fact alone should have council dismissing these issues out of turn.

In the case of the beekeeping issue, council and staff tried to head off many concerns in the proposed ordinance.  They however fail to understand that you are bringing a rural and agricultural endeavor into suburbia and the two do not mix.

It is admirable that council proposes requiring any potential beekeeper to obtain written permission from their neighbors.  However, this puts those residents in the uncomfortable position of potentially starting a neighbor versus neighbor dispute should they choose not to endorse the endeavor.

Further, what if someone buys a house next to a beekeeper?  The very real possibility of someone with a bee allergy unwittingly buying a house next to something that puts them in danger exists.  What is to protect them?  Absolutely nothing.

Rational or not, many people –especially children – have a fear of the insect.  It hardly seems fair to purposely put a stressor on these residents when they have a reasonable expectation in place of the chances of an encounter.

What parent doesn’t already have to deal with a child panicked because a bee or two is hovering nearby?  The child is terrified and there is little consolation.  It is a frustrating experience for all involved.

Yes, the chances of being stung are slim now but they increase when a colony moves in nearby.  Residents spending time outside with their families should not be forced to combat this.

For many of us, a run-in with the insect and getting a bee sting would cause little more than pain and swelling.  Others could face far graver consequences. For someone who suffers from bee sting allergies the swelling can be much more extensive and painful.  For 3% of the population a sting can put them into anaphylactic shock, a condition that causes circulatory collapse and could lead to death.

As we say, the chances of being stung by a bee are remote but why introduce an increased chance of something disastrous happening?  It sounds overly dramatic but is Thornton City Council truly willing to put someone’s life at risk with this silly, feel good measure?

The logistics and details of this measure also prove to be problematic.

A six foot fence around the colony is to be put in place, “so that all bees are forced to fly at an elevation of at least six feet above ground level.”  Umm.  Okay.  I’m not too sure what that is supposed to accomplish since the bees have to return to ground level to pollinate.  Further, the fence, coupled with the apiary itself, is sure to be an eyesore for neighbors.

Much of the changes to city code to allow for beekeeping are wholly unenforceable.  Anyone who has dealt with a problematic neighbor’s yard and called the city knows full well that fact.

Thornton Code Enforcement can take no action on something in a person’s backyard unless they can see it from the street.  Unless a neighbor is willing to let code enforcement in to look over the fence – thus surly starting a fight with that neighbor – the city is powerless.  If that beekeepers apiary or barrier fence is a disaster, you will be forced to stare at it and have little recourse as the city cannot protect you.

“Do no harm” should be a leading principle of any governing body.  Thornton City Council needs to evaluate every issue with this basic premise in mind.  Yes, urban farming, backyard chickens and beekeeping all seem wonderful on the surface.  They however cater to very few residents and far more are negatively impacted.

We have heard the argument that issues like this aren’t a big concern because many residents live in covenant controlled communities and the HOA will maintain control.  We have long railed against this point of view as it simply abdicates the city of its responsibilities.  What about the majority of residents that do not have any additional controls?  Does it not fall upon the city to protect them?

With pressing issues like urban blight, transportation, the economy and bringing jobs to the city lying at their doorstep, Thornton City Council should focus on these and other more important issues.  Leave the farming, chickens and bees to those living in rural areas.

What do you think?  Call or send city council an email and let them know your thoughts.

Thornton City Council Contact Information

Ward I

• Jenice “JJ” Dove at 303-538-7537, home at 303-427-9746, on her cell at 720-280-7467 or via e-mail at Jj.Dove@cityofthornton.net.
• Mack Goodman at 303-538-7534 or via e-mail at Mack.Goodman@cityofthornton.net

Ward II

• Eva Henry at 303-538-7536, home at 720-475-6461, or via e-mail at eva.henry@cityofthornton.net
• Val Vigil at 303-538-7535 or via e-mail at Val.Vigil@cityofthornton.net

Ward III

• Beth Humenik at 303-538-7532, home at 720-872-218, or via e-mail at beth.humenik@cityofthornton.net
• Lynne Fox  at 303-538-7533 or e-mail Lynne.Fox@cityofthornton.net

Ward IV

• Eric Tade at 303-538-7530, home at 303-549-3946 or via e-mail at Eric.Tade@cityofthornton.net
• Randy Drennen at 303-538-7201, cellular at 303-906-4689, home at 303-450-9488, or via e-mail Randy.Drennen@cityofthornton.net

Mayor

• Heidi Williams at 303-538-7531, cell phone at 303-819-9722 or via email at heidi.williams@cityofthornton.net

Is it the City of Thornton’s job to bailout the local school district?

The City of Thornton has offered to help Adams 12 Five Star Schools with its budget mess by taking over some of the expenses associated with middle school sports.  The city’s generosity however gives rise to bigger questions as to whether or not it is the city’s responsibility to provide the district a bailout.

Middle school sports fell to the budget ax this school year as Adams 12 was forced to make tough choices.  While athletics can be important in developing youth, real education takes place in the classroom so it was a logical decision.

Adams 12 has been the recipient of taxpayer generosity many times in recent history including voter approved tax increases in 2000, 2004 and 2008.  We have also allowed the district to increase their debt tremendously which now stands in excess of a whopping $340 million.

Moody’s Investors Services noted just last month Adams 12′s level of debt was ‘above average’ for a school district.  The figure is in fact one of the highest debt levels of any district in the state.  Are there alarms going off in anyone’s head?

If Adams 12 had been good stewards of taxpayer funds perhaps the evaluation of the issue might be different but it has not.  There isn’t a parent or teacher in the district that couldn’t point to waste at the top heavy school district.

Proper planning would have allowed the district to weather the economic storm – just like Thornton has – but they failed to do so.  Adams 12 got themselves into their financial mess and transferring their obligations to municipalities should not be allowed.

The district has already pushed expenses off on parents in the form of ever increasing ‘fees’. Now those same parents are expected to have their tax dollars bailout the district’s athletics programs.  What will it be tomorrow?  Will the city take over bussing?  Building and facility maintenance?

There will certainly come a day when tax receipts will increase and voters will once again be generous to Adams 12 and give it more money.  Will the district then take the athletics programs back over and relieve Thornton and other cities of the burden?  Of course not, why would they?  They have found an entity that is willing to fund its programs for them.

Thornton’s effort to get the four other cities within the school district on board with helping to restore the programs is laudable.  It however sets a bad precedent of municipalities coming to the rescue of other cash strapped quasi-governmental entities.

City council would do well to pay attention to some warning signs in the latest Financial Forecast they just received from city staff.  They were cautioned that revenue growth is slowing and in fact flattening.  Further, the report said there was “Limited revenue to support new/increased demands for service.”

Clearly the city in all of its generosity needs to take care of primary and critical city services before it takes on new obligations.  Tacking on a new long term expense would be unwise at a time when financial resources are already strained.  Short of a miraculous economic turnaround they are going to be that way for some time.

Cooperation between the city and the district is welcome but not when it comes at further expense to taxpayers and increases a burden on cities.  Whether the cost to the city is $1,000, $10,000 or $100,000, this cannot be seen as anything other than another taxpayer funded bailout.

Oh yes, we are going to hear that it is ‘for the children’ and our heart strings will be tugged but whether taxpayer money goes to a private business or a quasi-governmental entity, a bailout is a bailout.

Today, with a heavy heart, we remember those we have lost this past year.  It won’t be the same without them.

We also say a special prayer for those not home for Christmas.  We are very proud of the brave men and women who will be separated from their loved ones during the holidays and we thank them for their service.

God bless you all and Merry Christmas.

Tim Tebow has been the talk of the town - and the nation - in recent weeks. (Denver Broncos)

Our Friday funny covers one of the hottest topics these days in Denver:  Tim Tebow.  Love him or hate him, Tebow has become a lightning rod on and off the field.  While I continue to ride the middle of the road in my opinion of Tebow.  He certainly is a compelling figure and thus far, a winner.

The joke below has been circulating via email lately and I feel comfortable sharing this since I am both a Broncos fan and a Catholic. 

Tim Tebow asks for an audience with the Pope, who grants it. Tebow flies to Rome and the Pope gives him a tour of the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, everything. But it’s Sunday morning and now the Pope needs to deliver Mass to the 50,000 people waiting in St. Peter’s Square below his window. “Come with me to the window and see for yourself,” the Pope says. The two of them go to the window. Down below, an Italian guy says to his buddy, “Hey, who’s the guy in the pointy hat next to Tebow?”

Gallup: In U.S., Fear of Big Government at Near-Record Level. (Gallup) Click the image for a larger view.

President Barack Obama and the mainstream media like nothing better than to vilify business and dote over the Occupy Wall Street protestors and their attempts to save us from the evils of capitalism.  However, a new poll shows that Americans are far more concerned about their own government than they are business.

The poll released by Gallup this week shows that fear of big government is approaching record setting levels as 64% of Americans view it as “the biggest threat to the country in the future.”

Problematic for Obama is the fact that our fears of the government have done nothing but grow since he took office – from 55% to today’s 64%, a near record setting level.  His main theme of a government nanny state is the opposite of what we the people want.

Further, the biggest jump came not from Republicans as you might expect.  Democrats’ fear of big government grew by and far the largest as it skyrocketed from 32% in 2009 to 48% today.  That is a massive rise that serves as a repudiation of the president’s vision of big government leading us to salvation.

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Republicans saw slight increases from 80% to 82%.  The crucial independents saw significant increases in their fears of government from 59% to 64% since 2009.

Certainly one would think that with the president’s attempt to slap down job creators and all the attention OWS protestors receive would have made people scared of businesses.  That however is not the case.  The poll shows that Americans fear business less today than since George W Bush took office.

Perhaps the President and the leftists in Congress should take note of this poll and understand what the biggest impediment is to putting the country on the course to recovery.  It is not business.  It is government.

We don’t want to be saved from ourselves.  We don’t want to be saved from big business.  What Americans do want is for government to get the hell out of the way and stay out of their lives.  Are you listening Washington DC?

These American heroes saw what was likely their last chance to visit their fallen comrades at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific ruined by a CBS television show’s crew. (TGGF)

The executive producer of CBS’ Hawaii Five-O issued a statement about their disrespect of veterans last week in Hawaii that was less than heartfelt and called accounts of the event false.  Rightfully so, the non-profit organization that escorted the World War II veterans to Hawaii is saying that far more needs to be done.

While the statement  is in theory an apology, it hardly comes across as one and in fact calls those who witnessed the crew’s actions liars.

Executive Producer Peter Lenkov disputes the fact that the cast and crew ignored the playing of the National Anthem and Taps.  However, their actions and callous disregard were witnessed by TGGF volunteers as well as the Pearl Harbor survivors that were there to pay their respects to their fallen comrades.

In the end, this comes across as a half-hearted, patronizing attempt to quell the furor and pacify those who are rightfully upset at the treatment by the Hawaii Five-O production team.

Timothy Davis, founder of TGGF, says the “apology” doesn’t go far enough.

“CBS needs to write a personal apology to EACH veteran. They excused their actions, they didn’t take ownership of their actions,” Davis wrote on Facebook.

Davis has sent a letter to CBS television (below) asking that a formal apology be sent to each veteran for the lack of respect shown to these American heroes.

We agree.

• Hawaii Five-O on Facebook
• CBS Television contact form
• National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific – (808) 532-3720

STATEMENT FROM PETER LENKOV, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, ON BEHALF OF THE HAWAII FIVE-0 PRODUCTION UNIT

On behalf of the Hawaii Five-0 production unit, we’d like to apologize to any veterans and members of the Greatest Generation Foundation whom we unintentionally offended when our events coincided.

Last week, under permit from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, we filmed a scene at the cemetery in which Commander McGarrett visits his father’s grave. When we arrived, we became aware of a memorial service for Pearl Harbor veterans taking place more than 200 yards away.

Our production crew is 80% staffed with local Hawaiians, many with ties to the military. We recognize the privilege of filming in Hawaii and we are acutely aware of the deserved respect for its culture, history and the reverence that should be afforded to all of our veterans, particularly those who served so nobly in Hawaii and at Pearl Harbor. Furthermore, the series we produce carries a demonstrative pro-military message.

Contrary to some reports, to show respect, our crew did cease production for the playing of the national anthem, taps and for the remainder of the ceremony.

When we resumed filming, we did encounter visitors from the ceremony. Any rudeness by our staff can only be attributed to haste to finish our work, not a lack of respect for men and women who have served and sacrificed for their country. And for that, too, we sincerely apologize to any that were offended.

Lauri Metrose.
Senior VP communications, CBS Television Studios
lauri.metrose@cbs.com

Lauri.

We are extremely disappointed and saddened by the events that occurred on December 09, 2011 at the National Cemetery and Memorial of the Pacific in Hawaii. CBS and Hawaii 5-0 have not only disrespected our World War II veterans. It disappoints all involved that a network and television show so dedicated to our military have not only degraded the graves of fallen soldiers by walking on them, but also insulted those who fought in defense of liberty. One Pearl Harbor Survivor, who wanted to visit graves near the production site but was refused access, said “You can’t move buddies that are buried there.”

For nearly a decade, the Greatest Generations Foundation a public 501c3 Charity has been tirelessly working to ensure that the legacies of the men and women who served in our Armed Forces are respected and never forgotten. The National Cemetery and Memorial of the Pacific is a national shrine for many of those who fought and served in the Pacific; production equipment should not be placed on gravesites knowing that someone who fought for our freedom is underneath that equipment.

On behalf of the veterans, and the Greatest Generations Foundation we request both CBS and Hawaii 5-0 to issue a formal written apology to each War veteran for their lack of respect to our nation’s heroes. The Greatest Generations Foundation is happy to provide the names of each veteran, and branch of service that will assist you in providing a written, personalized apology.

While we appreciate the producer comments, they certainly were not heartfelt.

Yours sincerely,

Timothy Davis
The Greatest Generations Foundation
Remember Those Who Served

Previous coverage from Tony’s Rants:

• Hawaii Five-O disrespect: CBS ‘looking into the matter’ as media coverage of show’s treatment of WWII vets grows
• No word from CBS on disrespect of WWII vets, National Cemetery; Photos show crews standing on graves
• CBS’ Hawaii Five-O cast and crew disrespect World War II survivors

Latest media coverage:

• KUSA Denver:  Pearl Harbor survivors ‘shushed’ by TV show crew
• KMGH Denver: WWII Vets Say TV Film Crew Disrespectful; Hawaii Five-O Filming CBS Show During Ceremony
• ABC News: WWII Vets Outraged at ‘Ultimate Disrespect’ From ‘Hawaii Five-O’ Crew; CBS Apologizes