Light Rail or Light Weights?

If Northwest Arkansas’ leadership is going to drive support for a light-rail transit system, the time to strike is apparently now. And although it’s anticipated that local private and public contributions for an in-depth feasibility study will total $70,000, there’s apparently a more pressing need.

John Bradberry, a member of Greenway LLC and a private asset manager in Fayetteville, said the first step is putting together a public forum that would demonstrate the community’s interest and enthusiasm for the project. The aim would be to polarize enough political support, particularly among Arkansas’ Congressional delegation, to procure a federal grant to finance the remaining 80 percent of a large-scale study. The total tab for a study is expected to be about $350,000, and the Ozark Regional Transit Authority is already in for half of the 20 percent ($35,000).

Bradberry said it’s estimated that a forum to create attention and hopefully get the analysis into the 2006 federal budget would take about $40,000. That would cover the cost of renting a venue, flying in experts who’ve done it before, advertising and other related expenses.

The point, Bradberry said, is to not get behind the infrastructure curve any further by not even exploring feasibility.