Purple Line BRT (Rush Line Corridor)

[pannierpacker]

Diane Longrie, if some of you don't remember, put the city of Maplewood into a tailspin under her leadership in the late 2000s with corrupt cronyism, resulting in many long-term city employees getting so fed up that they quit. The city nearly lost its insurance. Council meetings became disfunctional at best. I'd hate the city fall into the utter chaos she caused her last time around. Even years after her "leadership" she was still acting unethical: she was caught on camera stealing budget documents from City Hall, and had the temerity to lie about it. No matter how horrible she acts, she has ardent supporters who'd rather cut off the nose to spite the face. A walk down memory lane: https://web.archive.org/web/20121023163 ... maplewood/

This is a better link:
https://web.archive.org/web/20080112060 ... e15218.asp

The one you posted won't show the entire article.

[Tiller]

I can guarantee this is because of the upcoming election - they're trying to keep Diana Longrie out because she's a fucking nut.

Unfortunately it seems like she's getting more traction this time around, but I hope it's not enough to take control of the council. If she wins, then this project as we know it will die.

[at40man]

Star Tribune article updating current status of Purple Line and Met Council's response to Maplewood Mayor Marylee Abrams: https://www.startribune.com/met-council ... 600214882/

It also basically reiterates her more nuanced position on this project. Like she told me, the article confirms she's not against the line. It's the combination of Birch Run, tearing down the existing transit center built in 2004, and lack of communication that she finds problematic.

Based on the article, it sounds like the Met Council should hopefully be taking the steps to adjust their approach here. Marylee reiterated to me a few times when we spoke that she wants to get this right, and she's "looking 20, 25 years into the future" and not just now.

Diana Longrie [...] she's a fucking nut.

And how!

The more I dig, the worse it gets.

• City Pages: "Welcome to Maplewood" https://web.archive.org/web/20080112060 ... e15218.asp
• Star Tribune: “Maplewood Ready To Get Back on Track" https://m.startribune.com/maplewood-rea ... /16059462/
• Maplewood Voices: “Backing Out of the Ditch”: http://maplewoodvoices.blogspot.com/200 ... h.html?m=1
• Johnny Northside: "Diana Longrie, What We Know, And A Lot More We Don't...”http://adventuresofjohnnynorthside.blog ... t.html?m=0
• Maplewood City Council packet, 22-Mar-2010, Agenda Item M1, Page #172-173: “Diana Longrie Subject of Council Administrative Presentation From City Attorney”
  https://docs.maplewoodmn.gov/weblinkpub ... Packet.pdf
  
  In the above City Council packet is this tidbit which I find most interesting: “Ms. Longrie represented Ms. Gearin and Wipers Recycling LLC while she was an elected and paid public official and while her client was also suing the City in multiple forums.” Hmmm.
• Pioneer Press: “Maplewood’s Nora Slawik Wins Big Over Past Mayor Diana Longrie” https://www.twincities.com/2013/11/04/m ... ngrie/amp/
• Pioneer Press: “Ex-Mayor Longrie Cited in City Hall Theft” https://www.twincities.com/2015/12/28/e ... theft/amp/

[Tiller]

Yep. And she also affiliates with a bunch of religious crazies. Which is

[Trademark]

Yep. And she also affiliates with a bunch of religious crazies. Which is

Then let's advertise how many churches you could take transit to on an all day frequent weekend schedule with a frequent bus.

[at40man]

https://www.startribune.com/maplewood-c ... 600218763/

I attended the City Council meeting last night. I don't think the article goes far enough in emphasizing the City Council did NOT remove support for Purple Line. They voted they do not support the current routing. The biggest thing they want is engagement with the Met Council. They acknowledged the Met Council can do this with or without city involvement, and they'd rather be involved than not involved.

The only City Council member who seems flat-out against Purple Line was Rebecca Cave -- a holdover from the Longrie era. She was adamant that City Council remove support for Purple Line. None of the other council members seconded her motion. The others spoke of the need for Purple Line, but the conversation was about how to facilitate engagement with the Met Council. So, after much debate the resolution was worded that they do not support the current iteration of the Purple Line. At that point the anti-transit folks were making audible sounds of disapproval, because they wanted the line cancelled altogether. Mayor Marylee Abrams said that if anyone came to the meeting hoping the Council would withdraw its support for Purple Line, they would be sorely disappointed because that was never her intention nor goal. One person got up and loudly shouted "you're breaking your word Marylee" as she stormed out of the room. I rolled my eyes-- Marylee has been very clear from the beginning she is not against Purple Line.

Ex-Mayor Diana Longrie thought it would be clever to try and convince the council that the Skally Line/Bruce Vento alignment should be non-motorized only. Multiple council members pointed out to her they do not have the authority nor jurisdiction to do such a thing. I chuckled at that -- Diana Longrie doesn't even know the basics but she sure has loud opinions. Unbelievable some people want her to be Mayor again.

After the meeting I chatted briefly with several of the City Council members. Kathleen Juenemann said to me she was glad I spoke up during the meeting about putting transit users and potential users at the center of transit decisions, and wants me to be part of the engagement process with the Met Council. I am more than thrilled to be a part of that!

In short, I left the meeting feeling positive that Purple Line will continue to move forward. Anti-transit folk left disappointed.

[Mdcastle]

The Best Buy project was so outrageous with the number of people it forced from their homes under threat of eminent domain, and there was that whole Kelo v. New London thing and the resultant state law here in backlash, that I get the sense cities are becoming extremely timid about using it. Even for things that are clearly public uses rather than merely throwing people out of their homes to build an office building. It's that way in Bloomington where the city wanted a right turn lane for the 106th street ramps, but didn't build it because it needed a few feet of a persons lawn. Or 106th and Xerxes, where the city plans to put in a roundabout. But the entire project is on hold until the owner of the house on the northeast corner decides to plop a "for sale" sign down on their lawn so they city can buy it.

[tedlanda2571]

https://www.startribune.com/maplewood-c ... 600218763/

I attended the City Council meeting last night....

Good context. Thx.

[Bakken2016]

https://content.govdelivery.com/account ... ns/347662c

Purple Line project update:

Public comment on end point coming this Spring.

[Tcmetro]

The City of Maplewood is hosting an engagement meeting about the Purple Line and the city's recommendations about it tonight. This is the latest in a series of meetings that have given platforms to Met Council/Metro Transit and various groups within the city that support or oppose the project.

https://maplewoodmn.gov/Calendar.aspx?EID=7264

The meeting starts at 6 PM and can be watched here:
http://vod.maplewoodmn.gov/CablecastPub ... ?channel=1

[Tcmetro]

I listened into the meeting in the background tonight. ~1.5 hours were resident commenters mostly against the project alignment in the Bruce Vento trail corridor. Others were more anti-transit in general. A few were in support of the line.

Met Council was also there to answer some questions about the project, but there wasn't any updates as to the status of the terminus study or about the project rating for federal funding (which is pretty much on the border of being eligible or not as it currently stands).

[Tcmetro]

Maplewood is having another meeting on March 22nd for the Purple Line which will include answers from the Met Council and recommendations from the city council.

https://maplewoodmn.gov/Calendar.aspx?EID=7265

Purple Line CMC meeting rescheduled to April 6th.

https://www.metrotransit.org/purple-lin ... committees

[Tcmetro]

There was another Maplewood Purple Line meeting yesterday. Ramsey County is pulling their support from proceeding with the federal grant application process, and proposing a reevaluation of White Bear Ave with bus only lanes.

https://maplewoodmn.gov/purpleline

https://maplewoodmn.gov/DocumentCenter/ ... lternative

[mamundsen]

Is this a Purple Line pause? They are reevaluating the whole route to be on WB Ave?

[Bakken2016]

Is this a Purple Line pause? They are reevaluating the whole route to be on WB Ave?

Yeah, it sounds like Maplewood was ready to pull support completely from the project. This is to study an alternative and hopefully get them back on board.

[thespeedmccool]

Lmao, how did the Gold Line to Woodbury see less opposition than this?

[daveybabymsp]

Probably helps that the gold line follows a highway ROW instead of a bike path.


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[Bakken2016]

Probably helps that the gold line follows a highway ROW instead of a bike path.


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lol, was just about to post this.

[Tcmetro]

Gold Line runs along I-94 and non residential areas of Woodbury.

I think the White Bear Ave alignment will be better because it will directly serve Hillcrest and the public housing on Maryland. The Bruce Vento trail doesn't really go anywhere important and was better for fast trips to White Bear Lake.

Also there's some opportunity to share costs on Maryland with the H Line.

[pannierpacker]

Interesting!
I watched the video from the 3/22 meeting. The guy from the Met Council basically said that the are developing the White Bear Ave route as a new alternative. The current route through St. Paul to Maryland Ave would remain unchanged, but it would go from Maryland over to White Bear Ave. I am wondering if they are going to redo ridership calculations for the Vento alternative as they did announce they'd need to calculate the White Bear Ave ridership. It wouldn't be right to compare pre-pandemic apples to post-pandemic oranges.

Overall, this is great news for the Bruce Vento trail, but the bus isn't out of the woods yet (pun intended). Also, it's pretty sad that Maplewood is the only entity trying to save this trail while St. Paul Payne/Phalen district council and St. Paul leadership (council and special commissions) have turned a blind eye to it.