Sonoma County officials propose upgrades to enhance spare rail stops

Sonoma County transportation officials have asked the agency overseeing the Sonoma-Marin commuter train to rethink its spare platform designs and consider an alternative that would dress up what some worry might otherwise be drab railway stops.

The new proposal advanced by the Sonoma County Transportation Authority includes cast iron benches, decorative street lights, platform shelters with pitched roofs that reflect the surrounding architecture and signs that compliment the other platform amenities.

The alternative vision, discussed at a Monday meeting of the transportation authority, comes after cities along the Santa Rosa-to-San Rafael line weighed in on the bare-bones designs unveiled earlier this year by the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit. Reactions from council members ranged from outright disapproval to tepid support, with some saying the SMART platforms were more akin to a bus stop than the sort of classic rail station that residents envisioned during community input sessions four years ago.

Suzanne Smith, executive director of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority, said the entity’s board - composed of elected officials - “identified common issues with the SMART platforms, and the most prevalent issue had to do with the shelter and the furniture at the platform.”

The transportation authority dedicates 5 percent of its budget, or about $4 million per year, to the commuter rail project. Its board includes four of SMART’s 12 directors.

SMART administration officials said they have received the proposal and would consider the new design, but would not necessarily incorporate the ideas. The agency is constructing the 43-mile line ahead of commuter train service expected to begin in late 2016.

“As with all feedback, we evaluate it and see if it is feasible with our costs and work with our designers,” said Jennifer Welch, SMART spokeswoman.

The agency’s designs, produced by infrastructure company AECOM, include a simple bench with a Y-shaped shelter and modern light poles. Critics say the platforms failed to meet high expectations that SMART set before the recession put a dent in the agency’s budget.

SMART officials, citing that fiscal pressure, have stressed that the platforms should be functional and get riders safely on and off trains. Enhancements, including restrooms, coffee stands and public art, would fall to cities or outside groups to fund.

Nevertheless, Welch said SMART isn’t settled on its designs. “Feedback and input is valuable,” she said. “Knowing what the community wants is important.”

Voters in Sonoma and Marin counties passed a quarter-cent sales tax to fund the commuter line in 2008, at the outset ?of ?the recession. Two years later, with the economy still slumping, the rail authority asked communities to imagine an ideal station, which raised expectations.

The prolonged economic downturn took a significant chunk out of SMART’s projected sales tax revenue, however, and in 2011 the board voted to scale back its initial plans from a 70-mile Larkspur-to-Cloverdale line. Money for the custom-designed stations also evaporated.

Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane, an SCTA and SMART board member, voiced concern Monday that the new proposal did not include input from officials in Marin County, which shares in overseeing and funding the rail line.

“It’s important to remember that SMART is two counties,” Zane said. “There are some things that need to be respected in terms of jurisdiction.”

Supervisor David Rabbitt, who also sits on both agencies’ boards, said he has asked SMART staff to get an alternative bid for platform designs. He said cities along the line may have the option to contribute funds to enhance their platform.

Some cities have historic ?train depots. Others have ?built contemporary stations in anticipation of commuter service.

“A lot of ideas were bandied about on a grander scale,” Rabbitt said. “It’s been pulled way back. As an architect, it kills me not to do the whole thing. If a city wants to embellish a station .?.. I think it’s fine.”

Cloverdale Mayor Carol Russell, also a member of both boards, said the platforms should first be utilitarian to encourage a greater ridership.

“The discussion on aesthetics misses the importance of the (platform) shelter,” she said. “They have to be lean and safe. We want everyone to use it.”

You can reach Staff Writer Matt Brown at 521-5206 or matt.brown@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MattBrownPD.