Transportation Board Member Steps-Down

The vice chairman of Georgia's Transportation Board says he's retiring from the board. Larry Walker, a long-time state representative from Perry, says he's leaving to pursue opportunities he describes as not being compatible with continued service on the board. Walker will leave June 30th after more than two years in his position. The board will soon change, after the Legislature removed some of the board's power in this year's General Assembly session.

DOT addresses financial woes

The state Department of Transportation board has elected new leaders and adopted a financial management plan intended to curb an expected $1.2 billion deficit.

The thirteen-member board approved a proposal including financial aid and bond money totalling $527 million to ease the shortfall. It also authorized seeking an agreement with the State Road and Tollway Authority to use bond revenue totalling $600 million, and plans to eliminate about $250 million in long-range right-of-way costs and other steps projected to result in a positive balance of $156.5 million for the fiscal year ending June 30th.

The DOT board elected Bill Kuhlke Jr. of Augusta, the owner of a construction business and former Richmond County commissioner, as chairman. Former state Rep. Larry Walker of Perry was elected vice chairman.

DOT board reprimands Commissioner for romance

The state board of transportation took up the issue of Commissioner Gena
Abraham's future today. Over the last month, her friendship with then board
chair Mike Evans became romantic. Evans resigned last week. It's
against DOT rules for employees to be romantically involved with their
superiors.

Board member Dana Lemon called for Abraham's resignation. However,
fellow board member Larry Walker had another idea.

He wanted Abaraham to remain in her position, but receive a written reprimand for
not informing the board in a timely manner.
By a vote of 8-to-3, the board sided with Walker.

The board still has to decide exactly what the reprimand letter will
say.

In other DOT news. The board will need to choose a new chair. Vice chair Garland Pinholster,
who had stepped in for Evans, resigned amid allegations he sexually
harassed 2 DOT staffers.

Commuter rail plan stuck in limbo

A state board of transportation committee held a public hearing Wednesday to discuss whether commuter rail would ever come to Georgia. They did not find an answer.

State officials have studied the feasibility of commuter rail lines between Atlanta, middle Georgia and Athens for years. They have looked at the costs, the ridership, and the routes. Georgia has $107 million in federal and state funds to spend on a line that runs from Atlanta to Lovejoy. Norfolk Southern has agreed to rent its rail lines to the state for a commuter service.

State board members reviewed all of those facts at the meeting, and then asked the public to comment.

"We're planning. We're re-planning. We're designing. We're consulting, and we're going in circles," said state Rep. Steve Davis (R-McDonough). He said the state should forget about commuter rail and instead focus on improving roads.

But most speakers argued in favor of the rail line as one alternative to clogged highways.

"We need all the capacity we can get our hands on because we feel like we're choking to death on congestion, and we're starting to lose business," said Terry Chastain of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

In the end, committee members were too far apart to recommend anything to the full board. Committee chairman Larry Walker concluded the meeting without a vote. He says even if the committee recommended the state go forward with the Atlanta-to-Lovejoy line, the full board would vote that option down.

"I think we don't need to do that right now," Walker said. He, like the majority of committee members, wanted updated estimates of the costs and revenue from a commuter rail line. The committee will meet again in a few weeks.