MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS

June 14, 2008

Those Signing In: Norma Ward, Michael Frezell, Dwight Phillips, Jim Hinkins, John Langdon, Stan Roth, Dan Myers, Dick Pekarek, Clark Charnetski, J. P. DesCamp, Andrew Kent, Kay Chase, Larry Sobczak, James Wallington, J. R. Valderas, Dave Bruins Slot, Barry Boyce, Dave Randall, T. J. Gaffney, Hugh Gurney

Also Present: Don Westcott, Durand Union Station, Inc.

Chairman DeLora called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m.

T.J. Gaffney, Director of the Michigan Steam Institute, welcomed the group to the facility. He said he would soon be departing with a work party of volunteers to do work on nearby tracks. The weight of SRI’s Pere Marquette 1225 steam locomotive requires this.

Because of the economy and the cost of gas, traffic has been down so far in 2008. The Saturday excursion in May to Mount Pleasant was well patronized, but not the Sunday trip. Such statistics may affect scheduling for the remainder of the year. The condition of the tracks in the eastern part of the state is complicating collaboration with Blue Water. The cost of one trip with Blue Water would be around $30,000.00. The cost of coal is up from $105.00 per ton in 2007 to $150.00 in 2008. The Huckleberry Railroad in Flint and Greenfield Village are also feeling the crunch. Diesel fuel is also up. It takes 150 gallons of diesel fuel to run a locomotive to Mount Pleasant and back.

On the positive side, fall charters are looking good. David Rogers is bringing a group in September from the United Kingdom and over 1,100 tickets have been sold to date for a September 13 excursion. Caboose sales are especially popular. An article in the Chicago Sun Times plus a December, 2007, excursion with the 20th Century Railroad Club are resulting in more interest from out of state. SRI has been working with Blue Water to restore an Ann Arbor Railroad caboose, which may be ready for the fall trips. They may be able to add an additional coach by then also.

Despite a drop in attendance, the first quarter of 2008 has been more profitable because debt has been paid down.

The Steam Railroad Institute is best know for Pere Marquette 1225, recently used in the movie Polar Express. Built in 1941, the locomotive was the most powerful in Michigan. It was housed on the MSU campus until the 1980’s, when it was moved to Owosso and restored. It is the largest operating steam locomotive east of the Mississippi and has made numerous trips in the past two years.

SRI has an operational turntable to turn #1225 and quite a few cars. As they are put into service, passengers cars are named after long time volunteers. Freight equipment is generally used for storage.

Minutes of the May 10 meeting were reviewed. Langdon moved approval, which was seconded by Phillips and approved by the members present.

Treasurer’s Report was given by Treasurer Randall. As of May 31, 2008, the checking account had a balance of $1,195.33 and the Pratt Fund was valued at $14,826.32. Randall hopes to add a comparison to budget column by next month. A problem of sending renewal notices to some life members has been corrected. Approval was moved by Wallington, seconded by Monteith, and approved by the members present.

Regional Reports:

East/Central: Wallington reported that the Blue Water Connection, a promotional group like Westrain, has been busy. Five billboards have been placed at key locations along I-69. Durand Union Station, Incorporated, has been most active, along with Port Huron. Wallington thanked Pekarek and Chase for distributing promotional materials.

Northern: The excursion business remains murky as Lake States grapples with liability insurance issues. During the May visit of Pere Marquette 1225 to Mount Pleasant, Kent talked extensively with a woman doing a documentary on rail history in the Saginaw Valley. Kent has offered a link to the MARP website and may do some commentary. The woman has visuals of the Durand and Standish depots, but is in need of photos of streetcars.

Monteith made a presentation the past Monday, June 9, in Charlevoix in favor of extending Indian Trails bus service from Boyne City into Charlevoix. How much service depends on city support, but Monteith is optimistic. State Senator Allen and Phil Hoffman are very supportive. The bus service would get people to Charlevoix, where they could catch the Beaver Island ferry the following day. Wallington reported that he had taken an Indian Trails coach recently. He counted only 14 passengers north of Grand Rapids. He urged more publicity for this service and suggested the bus stop in Big Rapids be at the college.

West: Langdon reported that Michigan Day at Chicago Union Station was a huge success with 6,000 Travel Michigan guidebooks handed out by 8:30 a.m. Following up on Wallington’s concerns, Langdon agreed that MDOT should work more with Indian Trails on promotion. While at Union Station, he urged the CVB’s present to add links to showing how to get to their communities by bus, train and plane. Indian Trails schedules will change on July 1.

Westrain is focusing its resources on web site promotion. Fares on both state funded trains and the Wolverines are slated to go up by 5%. Because the trains are better patronized, revenue is going up faster than ridership. Michael Sak, Speaker Pro Tem of the Michigan House, was unable to book passage on the Pere Marquette on three successive weekends. On May 21, Langdon delivered the signatures gathered at the Michigan Municipal League Meeting in support of the second Pere Marquette to the governor’s office and key legislative people. Senator Allen of Traverse City specifically asked Langdon to keep in touch. He could be a key ally.

Langdon has also been working with representatives of the Environmental Law group in support of Senator Basham’s Resolution 200 urging Amtrak to provide greater frequencies and greater capacity in Michigan. The resolution has been sent to the appropriations committee. Langdon urged all members to speak in support of Resolution 200 to members of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He suggested that Chase send the signatures that she had obtained at the Ann Arbor Green Fair to the Appropriations Committee. Mayor Al McGeehan of Holland is urging all mayors in the state to sign the resolution.

In closing, Langdon informed the group that Amtrak now has a link to the on time performance of each train with the likely cause for the delay divided by the different railroads the train operates on.

Metro: Hinkins reported that a new report on the Vision for Transportation in Southeast Michigan is expected in the fall. Plans for a light rail system from New Center to downtown are proceeding. For the present, the line may stop at Comerica Park. Other alternatives are to go from 7 ½ Mile Road all the way to the Rosa Parks Bus Terminal. The idea is that it would link with the People Mover. A second route on Gratiot Avenue would likely be next.

Hinkins is working with Economic Development to assure that a planned Dequinder bikeway leaves room for a future rail line.

Hinkins has attended two meetings on the International Crossing. The best option would be a bridge some distance south of the Ambassador Bridge.

Charnetski reported on a recent conversation with Eli Cooper, Ann Arbor Transportation Planner. Cooper says a study of the WALLY will be coming out shortly. The consultant is saying that trackwork alone will cost $20 million. Charnetski handed out a flyer concerning the new Chelsea-Ann Arbor commuter bus service.

Introductions: At Langdon’s request, all present introduced themselves and where they were from.

COORDINATOR REPORTS:

Membership: Langdon reported no change in the membership count. The meeting on August 16 will be at the St. Joseph library with lunch at the depot.

Communications: Chase reported on the Ann Arbor Green Fair, where she saw a different audience than we see at train shows, people who are apprehensive about taking paper information. She felt the event was successful. In response to a query from Langdon, Chase agreed to see if there was a central clearing house for information on green fair events.

Chase urged those available to attend an Energy Seminar on Monday, June 16, at Oakland Community College. Hosted by Rep. Marie Donigan, the seminar will stress utility efficiency.

Chase handed out a survey form from SEMCOG and asked those present to fill it out and return it to SEMCOG. TRU is supporting this survey.

Because of rain prior to the Green Fair, Chase urged purchase of a canopy. DeLora suggested an open faced tent.

Chase called attention to a project in Minot, ND, where Boy Scouts rebuilt a section of track for the Magic City Express.

Outreach: Frezell thanked Chase for initiating MARP presence at the Ann Arbor Green Fair. Such events are just as important for outreach as train shows. Frezell urged purchase of a good shelter, one that is easy to put up. He has one that cost around $100.00. Patterson advised that sometimes we will need a full tent.

Frezell is looking into options for tabletop displays, something costing $100 – $200. Langdon suggested checking with NARP on their experience. Kent is putting together an 8”x12” exhibit for his shows. Both Frezell and Langdon suggested an easel for display of the state transportation map.

Upcoming shows include July 20 in Redford, the Northern Arrow excursion, Montcalm Community College and Crossroads Village.

As an aid to those staffing MARP exhibits, Patterson handed out an index he had created to the current Amtrak National Timetable indicating where specific information is located in that extensive document.

Newsletter: Valderas apologized that a storm that flooded his basement has set back publication of the summer Michigan Passenger. He now anticipates publication in August. He asked the group for help on a catchy caption for the first page.

Valderas stated that he has received photos of the Michigan Municipal League event and the visit of Pere Marquette 1225 to Mount Pleasant, but no captions or accompanying stories. He asked if someone could do an article on why the Battle Creek rail yard is empty.

A discussion ensued on the advisability of posting Michigan Passenger on the MARP website. Langdon moved that we post past issues, but for the current issue, potential readers would be directed to membership. The motion was seconded by Patterson and approved by the members present.

OLD BUSINESS:

REC: Gurney reported on a piece he had seen called Getting Around Wisconsin Without A Car, put out by 1000 Friends of Wisconsin. He thought the format could be used as a guideline for fulfilling one of REC’s mandates. Monteith urged that we link the Station Locator information for Indian Trails busses with our website. Information about all bus and train stations should be linked to the MARP webpage.

In response to a concern about lack of signage raised by Sobczak, Charnetski urged that we look to California for guidance.

DeLora reported he is checking with an attorney for the American Bus Association for guidance on what we can do about Metro Airport’s refusal to publicize the Michigan Flyer service to Ann Arbor, Jackson and Lansing. As to elected officials who appoint the Metro Airport Board, DeLora suggested contacting Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick and Wayne County Executive Ficano.

Change of Internet Provider: Sobczak reported that, because of constant problems with our internet provider. MARP has switched to Network Solutions. The new provider will cost half as much and offers 24 hour rather than 12 hour daily support. It also has more storage capacity and will be renewed on an annual rather than a monthly basis. At Sobczak’s request, Randall will send a cancellation notice to the old provider.

Detroit River International Crossing: DeLora reported that Dietrich Bergmann had done extensive research into the issue of a new international crossing at Detroit. The Senate Resolution supporting the crossing has been halted once senators were provided with accurate information. From Ontario Transport, Bergmann learned that the total cost of a new crossing would be $5 Billion and that based on recent figures, traffic has actually declined on the Ambassador Bridge since 2000. Running two round trips trains daily through the existing tunnel would alleviate auto tie ups. Through personal observation, DeLora has determined that tie-ups on the Ambassador Bridge are solely a function of how many customs booths are open, not the number of vehicles crossing.

Chicago-Porter: DeLora informed the group that the Amtrak Reauthorization Bill, HR 6003, cites Chicago-Porter as a key chokepoint that should be corrected and provides Federal/State matching grants to correct the problem. It is also on Amtrak’s priority list. Wallington added that an article in Reuters stated that Chicago-Detroit is specifically mentioned as a key high speed rail corridor to pursue in the Amtrak Reauthorization Bill.

In response to a question from Langdon, DeLora reminded the group that HR 6003 is an authorization bill, not an appropriations bill. Funding could start as early as October 1, 2008, if an appropriations bill was passed into law. An appropriations bill could provide funding for up to five years, subject to annual reauthorization. The 80/20 Federal/State match is for capital improvements only. It could give the state an incentive to refurbish coaches.

Cooperation with Freight Carriers: Monteith asked if we could put this issue on the agenda for the July meeting. Without the freight railroads, there will be no rails for future passenger service. MARP needs to work with these carriers to determine how we can help them best.

Annual Meeting: After some discussion, it was decided that the Annual MARP Meeting will take place on Saturday, September 20, 2008, at Durand Union Station. Norma Ward agreed to help locate a caterer. The registration fee will be $20.00. It was recommended that for 2009, we consider Lansing, Bangor and Niles.

Future Meetings: Future Meetings were confirmed or established as follows:
July 12, 2008 Lapeer
August 16, 2008 St. Joseph
September 20, 2008 Durand
October 18, 2008 Kalamazoo
November 15, 2008 Dearborn

Other: Patterson is seeking information about liability for charter trains. He also wonders if we have a DVD presentation we can use for outreach.

Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 12:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Hugh D. Gurney, Secretary

Approved:

John DeLora, Chair

MINUTES

Those Signing In: Hugh Gurney, J. R. Valderas, John Langdon, Dick Pekarek, Duke Van Til, Vi Van Till, Jim Hinkins, Dwight Phillips, Kay Chase, Dave Randall, Steve T. Sobel, John DeLora, Andrew Kent, T. J. Gaffney, Larry Sobczak, Dianne Patterson, Robert Patterson, Jim Wallington, Barry Boyce, Clark Charnetski

Call to Order: Chairman DeLora called the meeting to order at 10:04 a.m. He turned the meeting over to Jim Wallington, who introduced the day’s special guest, T. J. Gaffney. Gaffney, a former curator at the Port Huron Museum, welcomed the group to the museum and to Port Huron.

Train Festival 2009: Gaffney, now CEO of the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso, gave details about Train Festival 2009, to be held on the grounds of the Steam Railroading Institute, July 23-26. It promises to be the largest celebration of steam railroading since 2004. It actually begins on the West Coast on July 3, when Southern Pacific #4449 begins its trip east for its first ever visit to Michigan. It will be the first time that #4449 and SRI’s #1225 have been together since they were built in Lima in 1941. Nickel Plate #765 will arrive from Indiana on July 19.

Planning for this event began at least eighteen months ago. At SRI, there has been busy cleaning up the site, upgrading tracks, and restoring equipment, including a Blue Water bunk car and an Ann Arbor caboose.

Day long round trips to Alma and back by steam are scheduled each of the four days. Alma was selected as the turn around point because there is a wye there and Alma College has been so supportive. Locomotive #4449 will pull the train on Thursday and Friday, #1225 on Saturday, and #765 on Sunday. Little River #110 will do hour long trips up the St. Charles branch several times each day. Handicapped accessible cars will be available on some of these one hour runs. Two of the large steam locomotives will be on display at SRI each day plus six other historic locomotives. Night photo sessions will be offered each night. 25,000-30,000 people are expected over the four day period. At the moment, pre-sales total around 6,000. The event has been publicized in numerous rail fan publications and in the AAA magazine. For more information visit www.trainfestival2009.com > SRI has had tremendous support from Great Lakes Central Railroad. Parking will be available at a variety of spots around Owosso and in Corunna and Durand, with Indian Trails providing shuttle service to the SRI site

MARP will have a table in the vendors’ tent at Train Festival 2009. Volunteers can show up as early as 6:30 a.m. each day and are asked to wear their MARP ID tags for identification. The MARP monthly meeting will take place on Saturday, July 25, at the Indian Trails garage just east of Owosso, where free parking will be provided.

Port Huron Attractions: Gaffney urged members to take a look around the museum, which includes a diorama of the Port Huron-Sarnia tunnel. He also encouraged all to visit the 1858 Thomas Edison Railroad Station and the Grand Trunk rail car on display there as well as the restored Pere Marquette station and the Black River Railroad Bridge. Wallington will provide a map of the attractions in Port Huron. He recommended lunch at a place called the Vantage Point along the St. Clair River.

Treasurer’s Report: Randall reported that as of May 31, 2009, the checking account had a balance of $5,732.33 and the Pratt Fund a value of $11,128.28. There was a modest profit on the NARP meeting back in March. Langdon moved acceptance of the Treasurer’s Report. This was seconded by Duke Van Till and approved by the members present.

Minutes of the April 18 meeting in New Buffalo were reviewed. Wallington moved approval. This was seconded by Langdon and the minutes were approved by the members present.

Regional Chair Reports:

East/Central: No Report

Northern: Kent reported that the Blue Water Chapter is being booted out of the Saginaw Roundhouse. The Michigan Historic Preservation Network has given awards to depots in Saginaw and Standish for the preservation/restoration of these historic structures.

Western: Langdon handed out a sheet listing events and activities being planned to commemorate the Silver Anniversary of the Pere Marquette service on August 5. A full length dome car from the 1950’s will be part of the consist of the train on that day.

Grand Rapids has received $3.8 million in the 2009 FY federal budget towards relocation of the Amtrak station to a multi-modal transportation center.

Metro Detroit: National Train Day went well in Detroit, according to Hinkins. Phillips handed a proclamation of support from the city to the conductor of the first Chicago bound train that day. The Woodward Avenue light rail project remains “on track”. The governor would like to see it up and running by October, 2010. A charette is schedule to come up with ideas for the Troy/Birmingham Transportation Center on June 16-17. Approximately 1.l miles of track at West Detroit will be upgraded including replacement of a bridge.

Charnetski reported that a meeting on the WALLY project is scheduled for June 22 in Whitmore Lake. The Washtenaw Area Transportation Study is holding public meetings to review its twenty year transportation plan. The mayor of Ann Arbor did a proclamation in support of National Train Day. The Ann Arbor Green Fair, held on the evening of June 12, was well attended. The mayor of Ann Arbor visited the MARP table.

Hinkins reported that, because of the support shown, plans to demolish the Michigan Central Depot in Detroit are being reconsidered. He will keep abreast of the situation.

It will be difficult to nominate the building to the National Register of Historic Places since the owner is opposed to such designation. DeLora affirmed that the structure is solidly built.

Coordinator Reports:

Public/Government Affairs: Langdon reported that the Michigan Senate Appropriations Committee had voted on June 11 to transfer over $20 million from the transportation fund to the general fund. Amtrak funding now stands at $3.667 million instead of the needed $7.1 million. The budget now goes to the Michigan House of Representatives who must also act on the budget. Langdon has developed a flyer which urges the House to reverse the Senate’s action. Langdon would like funding increased to $10 million annually to allow for a second Pere Marquette. MARP will need to work with the transit support groups to assure adequate funding for all public transportation.

At the moment, all in Lansing say that funding is adequate through September 30.

DeLora urged all to fax or e-mail their state representative immediately to support Amtrak and public transportation funding. A vote could come as early as Wednesday in the House of Representatives. NARP and MWHSRA have sent out e-mail alerts. DeLora is working with NARP to set up a phone bank. Let’s Get Moving plans a conference call on Monday.

Langdon attended an FRA Workshop in Fort Wayne where the guidelines for applying for rail projects were reviewed. The final instructions for applying for projects are anticipated next week. The FRA is looking for meaningful projects, not spreading the peanut butter around too far. He and others interested in the South of the Lake project are urging Indiana to take the lead on that part of the proposal. While MDOT Secretary Kirk Steudle has alluded to operational money, Langdon stressed that the $8 billion in the Stimulus Package is for capital projects. There may be other stimulus money that could be used for operations at the state DOT level.

Communications: Chase informed the group that the Annual Meeting will be held on Saturday, October 12 at the Kalamazoo Public Library. Possible speakers could include Historian Don Meints and/or former Congressman Joe Schwartz, who has been very active in the fate of the Kalamazoo-Ypsilanti NorfolkSouthern line. A walking tour of the seven extant railroad stations in Kalamazoo is being considered. MARP would like to make an award to Congressman Schauer for his efforts on behalf of passenger rail.

MARP is now a member of Transportation for America, a group working to see that the upcoming transportation reauthorization bill broadens the concept of transportation to emphasize rail and public transit more. It sees the current transportation system as highly inefficient. Its Blueprint for America includes a vastly expanded passenger rail system by 2030. Transportation for America hopes to have a coordinator for the state of Michigan. Its web address is www.t4america.org>

Langdon added that this group is pushing for five year funding of Amtrak rather than the present one year.

Chase commended J.R. Valderas for his tireless efforts to make National Train Day in Michigan such a success.

Membership: Langdon asked that a membership renewal reminder be sent out at this time as many of last year’s members have not yet renewed. We have our first Advocate Individual Member signing up in the new business/institution effort. We are attempting to recruit an intern to develop a data base for the Get Michigan On Track initiative.

Newsletter: Valderas expects the summer issue of The Michigan Passenger to be available for Trainfestival 2009 in late July. The spring issue was well received at the recent Nickel Plate Festival in Indiana.

DeLora has three cartons of The American Passengers which he would like distributed at Trainfestival 2009. This publication was developed by NARP as a promotional piece to simulate new membership. At some point, it may replace the current NARP monthly newsletter. MARP did not spend anything for additional Michigan coverage because the piece was not available for National Train Day. DeLora praised Valderas for his efforts on the publication and his patience in coping with numerous last minute changes.

Website: Sobczak stated that the new website provider has been excellent. He is exploring how we can utilize the emergence of social networking. DeLora stated that he has another paper for the Research Room section.

Wallington asked Sobczak to see if we could post alerts on our website. Randall reminded the group that we still have the Yahoo system for alerts. Chase asked Sobczak to add a link to Transportation for America.

Langdon expressed regret that an e-mail alert on the state funding crisis had not yet gone out because Vavra-Musser was away. Such alerts need to go to all members. In his opinion, the Communications Coordinator should be retrieving messages sent to MARP.

Outreach: Langdon passed out signup sheets for Trainfestival 2009 and for the regular outreach events. For the train festival, he suggested that we promote our MARP material. Kent urged that we hand out newsletters on the trains.

Meetings: Scheduled monthly meetings are:

Owosso, July 25, at 10:00 a.m. at the Indian Trails garage just east of town. Indian Trails will provide at least one shuttle to Trainfestival 2009 for those attending.

Holland, August 22, at 10:00 a.m. at the Macatawa Coordinating Council. Westrain will make a presentation.

Kalamazoo, September 12, at 11:00 a.m.at the Kalamazoo Public Library. This is our Annual Meeting.

Ann Arbor, October 10, at 10:00 a.m. Location to be determined. Tom Corneille of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority will speak on WALLY.

Bangor, November 14, at 10:00 a.m. at the Bangor Depot. Program to be determined.

Old Business:

Durand Fence Dedication: DeLora will represent MARP at this event. MARP paid for a section of this fence.

National Train Day: At the six events coordinated by MARP, Valderas estimates that 2,500-3,000 people attended. He has no figures from Flint or Durand, where local groups put on their own events. National Train Day got preview coverage in most cities where events took place and actual reports of the event in Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo. For 2010, Valderas and Slater will start planning in October, 2009. They will seek out additional venue cities and ask that the coordinator in each city be physically present at the event to lessen the chances of miscommunication. They will work harder to assure that mayors or other community officials are present for the reading and presentation of proclamations.

E-Mail/Phone Bank: DeLora continues to work on this. NARP is helping in the immediate crisis.

New Business:

Election Nominations: Nominations are due by July 31. So far, DeLora has heard from only one member. He urged all members to submit nominations for the various offices.

Chase recommended he appoint a nominations committee.

Other Business:

Wallington reported Amtrak schedule changes effective in late June, largely due to the way Amtrak schedules crews. The first westbound Wolverine will run earlier and the Blue Water will run a little later, which should benefit Niles and New Buffalo. Unfortunately, Amtrak did not think to notify Indian Trails, which generally transports 10-15 passengers daily from Bay City, Flint and East Lansing to connect with the early Wolverine. Thanks to Kaz Fujita’s alert, Indian Trails has adjusted its schedule.

Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 12:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted:

Hugh D. Gurney, Secretary

Accepted:

John DeLora, Chair