Friday, November 2, 2012
In statement, regional panel welcomes report, while letter to LaHood criticizes interference.
A long-awaited report about the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation’s Inspector General calls for actions beyond what the regional panel has already undertaken. MWAA, responsible for constructing Metro’ Silver Line project from Falls Church to Ashburn, came under fire for lax oversight of its members. The IG report also raises questions about whether the organization’s policies permit favoritism in awarding contracts and nepotism in awarding jobs. For the full report, see the PDF attached to this article. After an interim report from the IG, MWAA approved a new travel policy and code of ethics, revised bylaws for board members and its Freedom of Information Policy and terminated contracts with…
Friday, August 24, 2012
Examiner: GOP was aware of an insider deal with outgoing board member before politicizing it.
As the legal wrangling continues over one Democrat's seat on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s Board of Directors, the contract given to another outgoing board member recently opened a new political battle over the group that is tasked with constructing Metro’s Silver Line project. Gov. Bob McDonnell recently failed to persuade a Fairfax Circuit Court judge to seat his new appointee to the panel, while Dennis Martire disputes his removal by McDonnell. Earlier this year, after Republicans criticized MWAA for pushing a project labor agreement requirement on the second phase of the Silver Line, information surfaced that members of McDonnell’s administration were aware of PLA negotiation. This week, the Washington Examiner found…
Friday, July 27, 2012
At least five groups have surfaced so far with plans to bid on Metro’s project to extend rail to Dulles and Ashburn.
CORRECTION: Five groups have already begun assembling teams to propose bids, not four as initially reported. All five teams are listed at the bottom of the story. Initial story: Hundreds of people representing contractors and subcontractors hoping to be part of the winning bid to construct the second phase of the Metro’s Silver Line to Dulles Airport and Ashburn attended a conference Thursday to learn more about the process and meet construction teams planning to bid on the project. At least five groups have already begun assembling teams to bid on the $1.4 billiion to $1.5 billion “Package A” of the construction project, which includes everything except the rail yard and the five parking garages that may never go to bid. If all goes as …
Monday, July 16, 2012
Despite critics, businesses and landowners appear either enthusiastic or silent as proposal for new assessment heads for hearing.
Now that Loudoun has opted in to Metro’s Silver Line, work will begin on creating the tax district the Board of Supervisors hope will pay for it. Just before the all-Republican board’s divided vote to opt in, supervisors directed staff to begin the process of establishing the ordinances needed to create the tax district, with a public hearing prior to Nov. 1 and an implementation date of Jan. 1, 2013. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the entity tasked with building both phases of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, announced last week that it has issued Requests for Qualifications from potential contractors, marking the first move forward on the estimated $2.7 billion second phase project since Loudoun’s July 3 vote. By …
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
After contentious four months, a divided board stays with the project.
With more eyes on Loudoun County than likely have ever been on it, the Loudoun Board of Supervisors voted 5-4 on Tuesday to continue participating with the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, which will extend the now-under-construction Silver Line from Wiehle Avenue in Reston to Route 772 in Ashburn. “Well the day has finally come for this board to make the decision about the future of Loudoun County,” County Chairman Scott K. York (I-At Large) said as the vote approached. “This will help our employers reach our employees regionally.” York and Supervisors Ken Reid (R-Leesburg), Ralph Buona (R-Ashburn), Matt Letourneau (R-Dulles) and Shawn Williams (R-Broad Run) voted in supported, while Supervisors Suzanne Volpe (R-Algonkian), Geary …
Monday, July 2, 2012
The American Tradition Partnership points to record of unseating candidates.
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Monday, July 2, 2012
A group opposed to Loudoun County’s participation in the extension of Metro’s Silver Line sent the county’s Board of Supervisors a letter warning members that they would be targeted in future election for voting in favor of the project. Donald Ferguson, a former aide to Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) and now executive director for American Tradition Partnership, signed the letter, which does not threaten to sue the county, but points to its success in litigation. “ATP has one purpose,” Ferguson wrote to supervisors. “To make sure there are consequences for politicians who want to use taxpayers, mom-and-pop business owners and employers as nothing more than punching bags and ATM machines. We can’t be shut up or shut down.” The …
Loudoun is set vote on Metro Tuesday, giving residents a few more opportunities to speak out.
Loudoun residents, and some from beyond, just may show up one more time Monday to tell the Board of Supervisors how they feel about the county's participation in the Metro's Silver Line project. With a vote set for Tuesday and deadline on Wednesday, supervisors have a regularly scheduled public input session at the County Government Center in Leesburg, during which resident may speak about any issue they wish. Let everyone else know how you feel in comments below. We've had lots of folks weigh in on Patch. Has your voice been heard? Residents also have another day to try to get their email messages in support or against to board members. Contact information for supervisors is as follows: All Board members receive mail and calls at: Loudoun…
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Monday, June 25, 2012
As critical deadline nears, opposition pushes against the project; some proposed tax districts are set aside.
With about a week to decide whether to participate in the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, the Loudoun Board of Supervisors has set one final work session for 5 p.m. Friday, June 29, at the County Government Center in Leesburg to discuss potential ways to pay for it. And late last week, the opposition to the project continued to distribute fliers that say homeowners and businesses “will get buried in debt and taxes.” The Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce has offered support for the project as well as new taxes on businesses to pay for it, with a sunset provision. The fliers left on cars last week join an array of flies left in eastern Loudoun communities in recent weeks. An unidentified group left fliers on cars at a church in Sterling …
Thursday, May 24, 2012
As decision looms on Silver Line participation, supervisors wade through details, analysis.
As the Loudoun Board of Supervisors begins a series of outreach meetings about the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, much of the long-awaited information about parking needs and possible project financing methods has been presented to the board and negotiations may truly begin. Possibly the key discussion residents and supervisors had been waiting for centers on how the county would pay for such a project. Staff members described two tools that could be used in a range of scenarios to pay for the project. The primary new sources of revenue under consideration include a countywide commercial and industrial, or C&I, tax along with a service district tax for properties within one or two miles of the rail stations. Variations were also shown …
Bob Bruhns
12:30 pm on Tuesday, December 11, 2012
It's just a bunch of crooks fighting over stolen money. Reports that expose their lies are not going to help them grab the money and run, so they don't demand them. The Dulles Rail project, also known as the Silver Line, costs two times what it should - we're talking about an unnecessary extra $2.5 to $3 Billion dollars of economic drain that is causing a major financial crisis for this entire … more ›