Keith Orris committed to the Lancaster MPO that funds have been committed by PennDOT. Upon our query to PennDOT, the following was stated by PennDOT:
“There has been no determination by the Department as to the amount of such assistance. There is a commitment from the Department of Transportation to assist in moving this project forward, as it may for any project that has a significant public benefit”
We (use any word you would like) can feel comfortable saying Keith Orris [misinformed] to the committee at a public meeting when they voted on the $4M in CMAQ funding.
Mr. Orris specifically said to the Lancaster MPO in a public meeting that PennDOT had “committed” additional funds. Once again he is parsing his words about an “award” or a “commitment” when it appears they only have someone somewhere verbally assuring them that they will get their money.
The Partners did this same tactic with the DEP and a Growing Greener II grant, claiming they had a “commitment” based on a verbal three months before an application had been submitted.
With respect to rail freight assistance grants, the PennDOT file on the $700,000 grant for engineering design study, has been reviewed. Findings:
- First, that grant never should have been awarded to F&M, as F&M is not a railroad.
- Second, there is no such engineering design study submitted to PennDOT. That money was used for a wide variety of purposes including newspaper advertisements for the June 2008 public hearing, hotel rooms and airline tickets for Gannet Fleming personnel, meetings among F&M and Gannet Fleming, subcontracting for site studies from historic resources to noise to wetlands.
There is no documentation of a review of potential alternative locations for the expansion of the rail yard. Gannet Fleming purports to have done such an analysis, but it must have been funded by someone other than PennDOT.
Thought some of this would be of interest to you. F&M needs the money in June.
