Sonoma-Marin Area Rail District directors, facing a $350 million funding gap, chose Saturday to build an initial line from Railroad Square in Santa Rosa to the Marin Civic Center, with extensions delayed to Cloverdale and Larkspur.
"What we did today was put the SMART train on the tracks for 2014," said Debora Fudge, SMART chairwoman. "The train is now a reality."
But it also is significantly less than the 70-mile line promised voters in 2008, when a quarter-cent sales tax hike to help pay for the commute train and accompanying bicycle path was approved by a large margin. Completion of the entire line could take another two to four years.
Directors at the special board meeting said it was important to get a train going, despite the economic downturn that has sliced into tax revenue and bond funding.
"No one saw the tsunami that headed our way and I am saddened we can't do the whole magilla, but we have to get something going," said Charles McGlashan, a SMART director from Marin County.
The decision was made after a six-hour workshop Saturday that compared the latest cost estimates to build the line to the projections of sales tax revenues and other funds to pay for it. It passed with 10 votes in favor, one no vote and one abstention.
Director Madeline Kellner, a Novato city councilwoman, voted against the proposal, saying the line would be too short to capture significant ridership.
"It doesn't make sense, it is only half a train," Kellner said.
Director Judy Arnold of San Rafael abstained, saying she wanted the final vote postponed until the board's meeting Wednesday in San Rafael, where Marin residents could get a chance to voice their opinions.
A contingent of Cloverdale residents at the meeting wore "No Taxation without Transportation" placards.
"We are fearful that if you do an initial phase and leave Cloverdale out, we will stay out," said Elissa Morrash of the Cloverdale of Chamber of Commerce. "People will hear that and not like it....We deserve better."
Supporters, however, said there was no other choice.
"We have an ambitious plan and we have no choice but to split it up," said Jim Eddie, a SMART director from Mendocino County. "You can bite off more than you can chew, but you can chew more if you take smaller bites."
The cost to build a line from Cloverdale to Larkspur is now estimated to cost $695 million, an increase of 18 percent because of unexpected costs, such as having to replace the bridges over the Petaluma River and over the Russian River in Healdsburg.
Because of the decline in sales tax revenues and a weak bond market, however, SMART only has $350 million for construction, which is 25 less than expected.
John Lackey, SMART's capital projects director, said the agency has identified enough savings to bridge the gap between what the first phase of construction would cost, $395 million, and the $350 million that is available.
Under the plan, SMART staff will seek bids on construction of the train stations, a Santa Rosa maintenance facility and all the operational systems needed to run trains from the Civic Center and Railroad Square as the end stations.
It would serve an estimated 57 percent of the ridership along 40 miles.
At the same time, bid options will be included to extend the line to a station near Coddingtown, to near Windsor and to San Rafael if bids come in below estimates, as they have in other construction projects.
SMART would seek additional local, state and federal funds and any cost savings to extend the line north to Cloverdale, at a cost of $218 million and serving 35 percent of the ridership, between 2016 and 2018.
Service to Larkspur, which is envisioned as a stop close to the Larkspur ferry to San Francisco, would cost $69 million and also be planned for between 2016 and 2018. That section would serve 8 percent of the ridership,
SMART would also run some trains at slow speeds over lower-grade track north to Cloverdale and have run bus service
to both Cloverdale and to San Rafael and Larkspur.
"We can do sufficient track rehabilitation to do some train service, excursion type service, it wouldn't be high-speed service, on an interim basis," Lackey said.
The workshop was attended by about 150 people who offered alternatives, criticized the plan or supported different aspects.
Long-time critic Mike Arnold of Novato said the new tax projections, based on an annual growth rate of 4 percent, were "wildly optimistic."
"The economy is going to struggle for awhile ... if you issue those bonds, you will burden future boards with debt service they will not be able to pay," Arnold said.
Alan Tacy of Petaluma said SMART should look at cost-cutting measures, such as rebuilding the bridge rather than replacing them and possibly running the trains on less-expensive track at 60 mph instead of the planned 80 mph, to open the entire line.
Christine Culver, executive director of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, urged the board to include the adjacent pedestrian-bike path, at a cost of $99 million, as the line is constructed.
"The bike community has been with you since the very beginning, we are looking forward to continue working with you," Culver said.
Twelve-year-old Claire Ernst of Healdsburg supported the bike and pedestrian pathway.
"It helps kids be more free, bicycle to basketball practice and be green," Ernst said.
A brighter moment was provided by La Reva Myles of Cloverdale, who has an event and real estate company, when she sang Choo Choo Ch'Boogie, a 1946 Louis Jordan "jump blues" song.
"It was way too serious in there, it was to have some fun," said Myles, who got an ovation for her song.
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