Chronicle transportation columnist Carolyn Feibel posted this interesting clarification/correction towards the end of this week’s column:
Speaking of stimulus funds, I gave you outdated information in last week’s column. Metro cannot use $30 million of federal stimulus funds on building the new light rail lines, despite what the agency had expected (and we had reported) earlier. In fact, none of the stimulus can be used on the future rail expansion. That’s because Metro doesn’t yet have final approval from the Federal Transit Administration for the planned North and Southeast rail lines.
Outdated information?
How about incorrect information?
It’s easy enough for these mistakes to happen. METRO’s PR department almost certainly outnumbers the hard-working journalists who occasionally cover the organization, and facts/figures that METRO supplies surely don’t get the rigorous fact-checking and vetting that they should.
Nonetheless, erroneous information is still erroneous (and not simply “outdated”).
UPDATE (06/26/09): Carolyn Feibel asks that we post this email, which I am appending to the post:
It was indeed outdated. I have no problem admitting I was wrong. However, to be accurate, this was about outdated information because METRO had announced one thing publicly then just neglected to announce the subsequent change. Or forgot to. At one time, METRO and Sheila Jackson Lee announced (and we reported) that they could use up to $30 million in stimulus funds for the NEW light rail. However, unbeknownst to me, the FTA late rejected that allocation of stimulus funds on the new light rail, so METRO came up with a new way to spend their stimulus allocation. FTA eventually approved that. However, the agency never put out a press release or informed me of the change.
They did orally tell the relevant government body, the Transportation Policy Council, during a meeting. Somehow I missed that too. Either I was not in the room or did not hear it.
Here is the email from George Smalley, VP of METRO communications, in which he acknowledges that the information changed over time:
From: George Smalley [email address redacted by bH]
Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2009 10:26 AM
To: Feibel, Carolyn
Subject: RE: more questionsCarrie,
Here’s the current plan for METRO’s use of stimulus funds:
$23 million for the conversion of HOV to HOT lanes (we would operate)
$64 million for 19 new rail cars for existing Red Line light rail
2.3 million for improvements to the Red line signalization and control system, as well as train communications
——
$89.3 million total
Your reference to stimulus funds in Monday’s column escaped my notice, sorry, otherwise I would have brought it to your attention. I haven’t talked to John Sedlak but it’s quite possible he updated the TPC on stimulus funding. I recall Frank Wilson also updated the METRO Board on this subject at the June or May meeting during the morning committee sessions. Our preference is to use stimulus funds on the North and Southeast lines, however the FTA hasn’t granted this because they say the projects first need to be in what’s called the final design/construction phase of development, and FTA hasn’t granted that designation yet.
