It turns out not all Greater Des Moines leaders are convinced that the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) should pursue bus rapid transit, widely seen as the next big thing in Greater Des Moines mass transit.

 

The DART commission gathered Tuesday for what one might have expected to be a routine vote on a grant application, especially given the years of preparation, previous commission approvals related to the project, and support from the Des Moines City Council, the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Greater Des Moines Partnership.

 

The grant would come from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s TIGER program, which stands for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery.But the commission split, 6-3, on whether to apply for a $20 million federal grant to develop the train-like service with special bus shelters along what is now Route 60, serving Ingersoll and University avenues and downtown.

 

The local match would be $5 million.Opponents questioned if DART could find the $2.2 million needed to complete the local match for the grant, or the $900,000 a year to run the service.

 

The remaining $2.8 million of the local match has been pledged by Des Moines, DART, Polk County, and several local financial firms and hospitals.DART General Manager Elizabeth Presutti said the money is likely to come from property taxes.

 

Voting “no” were Altoona Mayor Skip Conkling, representing Altoona, Bondurant, Carlisle, southeast Des Moines, Elkhart, Mitchellville and Runnells; Urbandale City Councilman Tom Gayman, representing Granger, Grimes, Johnston and Urbandale; and Polk County Supervisor and DART Commission Chairman Steve Van Oort, representing Alleman, Ankeny, Des Moines and Polk City.

 

Supporting the application were Des Moines City Councilwoman Christine Hensley, representing western Des Moines; Des Moines City Councilman Bob Mahaffey, representing northeast Des Moines and Pleasant Hill; Steve Peterson, representing Clive, West Des Moines and Windsor Heights; Joann Muldoon, representing central Des Moines; Gaye Johnson, at large; Polk County Supervisor Angela Connolly, at large.The vote came after several speakers split.

 

Among those in opposition: Ankeny Mayor Gary Lorenz strongly opposed the application, and suggested that if DART pursues the project, Ankeny will be less cooperative in other DART work.

 

“I would be supportive of some other type of bus rapid transit if it came from the west side and removed traffic from the freeway. I see this route as beneficial to no one,” Lorenz said. “We are mainly checking a box in someone’s library that says Des Moines has (bus rapid transit).

 

“If this goes through, it stresses Ankeny’s support for DART in general,” Lorenz added.

 

MPO executive director Todd Ashby said the project is important for the area economy.

 

He said Cleveland turned a $200 million investment into $3 billion in economic activity. He also pointed to Houston and Eugene, Oregon, both of which also have successful systems.

 

Larry James, a real estate lawyer speaking for himself, spoke in support of the effort saying, “This isn’t just about moving people around. This is about economic development. It’s a signal to developers. This should just be a first step.”

 

Zach Mannheimer, president of the Des Moines Social Club, said he personally supports the project given surveys clearly showing support for better mass transit.  

 

“If you send the signal that you don’t support bus rapid transit, that is not a message young people want to hear,” Mannheimer said.

 

The Polk County board members serving as DART commissioners split on the issue. Van Oort opposed the application while Supervisor Angela Connolly, serving at-large, strongly supported it.

 

Gayman said he voted “no” because he considered it a large expense benefitting a small area and noted that the DART budget seems “nip and tuck.”

 

Conkling also questioned if DART can afford the service.

 

Des Moines City Councilwoman Christine Hensley said the promise of the faster and more frequent bus service is one reason Ingersoll Avenue development is taking off.

 

“We have a tremendous amount of corporate support for this,” Hensley said. “I feel this is the right time.”

 

DART has until June 5 to submit a formal application for the grant.