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Loop Trolley, one regarding the south side of Kingsland and Delmar and the other regarding the <br />expeditious removal of two trees. Mr. Glickert stated that he had not heard anything about funding <br />from the government and had some reservations with respect to this extension. <br /> <br />Mr. Kraft asked if this project was different from the one that Council had approved a year ago. Mr. <br />Rich Wilson (Director of Public Works and Parks) stated that nothing had been changed with <br />respect to the design. However the FTA is very difficult to deal with and it seems like it has taken <br />them a year before they actually began to ask questions and address some of these specific <br />requirements. He stated that the Loop Trolley is ready to go to construction, but when you’re <br />spending 25 million dollars it can be a very long process. <br /> <br />Mayor Welsch stated that the two trees mentioned by Mr. Glickert were in the Conditional Use <br />Permit that was approved by Council last year. She also reminded Council that part of the delay on <br />the FTA’s part was because of the government shutdown in Washington, D.C. <br /> <br />Mr. Kraft asked if Council routinely approved Conditional Use Permits for projects that were not <br />funded. Mr. Wilson stated that the Conditional Use Permit can be extended if there is a reasonable <br />expectation that the monies will be forthcoming. He stated that staff has sat through several <br />meetings with the Federal Government and can see that everybody has been working in the right <br />direction. Mr. Wilson stated that he would agree that at the beginning there was a lot of <br />misunderstanding regarding things that needed to take place, so some things had been left <br />undone. His belief is that the funding is there and if the Federal Government was not going to give <br />them the money, they would not have allowed them to cut down the trees in the City and move <br />forward with all of the things they have already done with respect to the project. <br /> <br />Ms. Carr asked Mr. Poehler for whom he worked. Mr. Poehler stated that he worked for the TDD. <br />She stated that she had noticed in last week’s cover page that the extension would be issued for <br />the Loop Trolley TDD, which was not the company that applied for the original Conditional Use <br />Permit. Now it shows that this is a request by the Loop Trolley Company, so she is curious to know <br />who represents them. Mr. Poehler stated that the Loop Trolley Company is represented by a <br />Board who has given him written authorization to seek this extension on their behalf. <br /> Ms. Carr asked if we would see a change in the Conditional Use Permit, so that the project is <br />transferred from the Loop Trolley Company to the TDD, or would the extension be just for the Loop <br />Trolley Company. She stated that she was unclear about the relationship between these two <br />entities, and since the Mayor sits on the Board of the TDD there may be a conflict of interest. Mr. <br />Poehler stated that the Loop Trolley company originally applied, and the organization has gone <br />through some changes in responsibility over time and that once the construction is complete and <br />the operation has begun, it would be appropriate to transfer over to the Loop Trolley TDD at that <br />time. She then questioned if the Conditional Use Permit would be transferred to the TDD at some <br />point. Mr. Poehler stated that it was correct that the original application had been made by the <br />Loop Trolley Company, however over time, both organizations have gone through some changes <br />with respect to their responsibilities. He stated that once the construction is complete and <br />operations are ready to begin, it is his understanding from City staff that it would be appropriate to <br />seek a transfer from the Loop Trolley Company to the Loop Trolley TDD. Ms. Carr stated that she <br />was a little uncomfortable with that concept since it was her belief that the City did not want to be <br />responsible for the Trolley’s operations. She then asked if it would be correct to say that once the <br />transfer occurs the Mayor would be a member of the Board for the entity responsible for <br />administering the operations of the Trolley. Mr. Poehler stated that that was correct and that the <br />TDD with be the ultimate operator/owner of the Trolley Ms. Carr stated again she was a little <br />uncomfortable with that. <br /> <br />Mr. Sharpe asked Mr. Poehler if he was aware of any similar projects pending before the FTA, and <br />if so, what their status is with respect to funding. Mr. Poehler stated that Kansas City is in the <br />process of starting the design phase for their trolley project and Cincinnati is in the middle of <br />construction. He stated that every project is different, but he is not aware of any projects that are in <br />this same situation, being short of construction. Mr. Sharpe asked Mr. Poehler if it was his <br />understanding that they would be receiving a response from the FTA regarding whether or not the <br /> <br />