In the News and From the Email INBOX: Thinking

Paww:

A CLUE INTO THE WORKINGS OF THE MIND OF STEVE BERRY.

Steve Berry quoted in the article below is concerned about how the freeway off ramps "LOOK" and is willing to spend over 100,000.00 to have them fixed.. (That is the City Share... the cost of 200,000.00 is what "WE TAX PAYERS" pay). For him it is about LOOKS, and Doing Business in Grand Terrace. *that is less than what we pay the City Managers each year.

OK here is what I'd rather hear from a person in charge of our taxpayers funds:
Due to the current expectations of the Freeway Widening, Realignment and Off Ramp Construction being projected to be in 215 the pavement on the current off ramps need to be repaired for use in the interim time. The pavement is broken and filled with holes.

THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. Cars that hit rough pavement often are damaged and some times sufficiently to impede traffic flow or cause an accident. Drivers trying to avoid a pot hole may swerve and cause an accident or a roll over. Further neglect of the current ramps can not be justified for another 6 years as we wait for the new freeway features to be built.

Grand Terrace has the funds to aid in the construction and because Our Citizens and People visiting Grand Terrace Use the off ramps it is reasonable for the City to provide funding to encourage the proper maintenance of the pavement. This should translate to a savings in auto repair for the Citizens of Grand Terrace and those who visit our city.

I would also try for the inclusion of lane for the 215 RTA Bus was made for a On and Off Stop for riders and that the RTA agreed to make this an available service to the Citizens and Bus Riders in Grand Terrace. Perhaps if they did even a Bike Parking lockers could be included... at the bus stop. Now these are beyond how it "Looks". This is the kind of thinking I would hope the Citizens of Grand Terrace were being provided by their City Manager. This bus drives right past GT every hour and does not stop. It stops at the Sassy Stear/Starbucks on Mt. Vernon gets on the freeway and goes onto Riverside. The other direction it goes to San Bernardino MetroLink Station. If it were to stop in GT it may encourage alternative transportation for those of us who ride the train to work in LA or Orange County.. the 25 bus does not start service early enough to aid the work commuter.

Sorry to say neither Schwab or Berry have this insight, or ability to think sustainable, or safety first. They are all show, flash and self enriching

IF any one cared what the citizens think, not just the old guard political hacks that have their own skellitens in the GT Political Closet think, well here it is... Now is the time the City Council can change the City Manager's get rid of them both and hire some one for 55,000 to $65,000 per year. There should not be a City Employee making 178,000.00 and have a home and car paid for by the city... That is just wrong. There should not be a city employee who spends their time in political action in a different city, nor should they be working for a Non Proffit in Riverside on City Time. Neither Schwab or Berry should be retained. These are just a few reasons they should both go.


GT to repave ramps of 215
Cost to be split with Caltrans

GRAND TERRACE - Aiming to create a good first impression, the city and the California Department of Transportation are working to upgrade deteriorating on-ramps and off-ramps.
The City Council has approved an agreement with Caltrans to repave three ramps off the 215 Freeway at Barton Road.

The improvements are estimated to cost $91,800 and the city will split the cost with Caltrans.
The city also plans to repair the west side of the freeway bridge, including the southbound turn lane. That segment will cost the city another $15,000.

Acting City Manager Steve Berry said that Grand Terrace took the lead from Colton, which partnered with Caltrans to improve ramps off the 10Freeway.
"We took their idea and ran with it," Berry said.

The work is expected to begin in the next few weeks.

Berry said that having an attractive entrance sends an important message to people entering the city.
"When you come into our city and you experience a bumpy off-ramp, it might set the tone for what you think our community is about," he said. "That's not the case. We want a welcoming and smooth riding entrance."

The repairs are a prelude to a much larger freeway overhaul.

San Bernardino Associated Governments, the county's transportation planning agency, plans to widen the 215 from Orange Show Road in San Bernardino south to the 60-91-215 freeway interchange in Riverside.

Along with those plans, the agency proposes to widen Barton Road over the freeway and realign the freeway on-ramps and off-ramps.

The improvements will aid traffic flow on the bridge and ramps, according to the agency.

The work is being accelerated ahead of the 215 widening project to provide earlier traffic congestion relief, officials said.

But the project is not expected to become a reality until at least 2015, creating the need for subpar road conditions to be immediately addressed, Berry said.