Daily Mail Editorial: The Turnpike is about a road April 4, 2007
I spent about 30 minutes trying to get my thoughts together on the Turnpike… and the Daily Mail sums it up in a simple editorial.
It seems that the Parkways Authority is finally realizing the empire they tried to build is finally crumbling. And, Joe Manchin is tearing down the empire’s walls
The Parkways Authority in recent years has worried about everything BUT… you know… the job they were chartered with doing - running the Turnpike.
And, by going in different directions - they’ve failed the people of the state. And they have failed miserably.
So, the Manchin administration is finally trying to reign them in and Joe deserves some credit here. Even though he vetoed the bill that would require Turnpike Tolls to get Legislative approval, he is absolutely on the right track.
Read the Daily Mail Editorial below….
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TAMARACK is the nicest and most beautiful white elephant in the nation. But it is a white elephant nonetheless, and as such it is consuming public money needed for other purposes.
Gov. Joe Manchin wants the Department of Commerce to take it off the hands of the commission that oversees the West Virginia Turnpike.
That would be a good idea.
The Turnpike authority needs to refocus its resources on its real mission — maintenance of the revenue-generating toll road.
Tamarack, developed at the Beckley interchange, was set up to showcase and sell arts and crafts made in West Virginia. Sales have never covered expenses.
Tamarack lost $1,795,374 in 2002; $2,059,303 in 2002; $2,358,361 in 2004; $2,852,646 in 2005 and $2,570,239 in 2006.
This year’s estimated losses are just under $2.8 million.
The losses are covered by the Turnpike’s share of revenues from the restaurants, gas stations and vending machines in its concessions areas.
But that money should be used to help maintain the Turnpike, as it was before Tamarack was built.
Indeed, the Turnpike commission tried to raise tolls to pay for upkeep of the Turnpike.
That increase drew the ire of legislators, who wanted take control of setting tolls.
Manchin wisely vetoed that measure. The Turnpike was built on borrowed money. The holders of those bonds call the tune, not the Legislature.
But in his veto message, Manchin made it plain that he wants the state to take Tamarack off the hands of the Turnpike commission. There is $10 million remaining in the bonded indebtedness undertaken to pay for construction of Tamarack.
Manchin said Commerce officials are more likely to know how to turn the arts and crafts center into a profitable business.
The best way to do that would be to let a real retailer take over, either by a long-term lease or an outright sale.
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9 Responses to “Daily Mail Editorial: The Turnpike is about a road”
It’s time to end the tolls. There is no reason that it should take 40 years to pay for those roads and it hasn’t.
The Tamarack was built with a surplus of toll collections and now we are told that the Turnpike Authority - such is the legacy of its leaders. It is quite appropriate the name Caperton dons the building down there.
Why should the citizens of Raleigh and Mercer be burdened by this any longer while Joe redirects the highway construction funds to Marion County and the Eastern Panhandle (the only area in the state he is afraid of voting against him as Monty Warner even won Berkeley County)
Using tolls to build roads that would not be built otherwise in not necessarily a flawed concept. Collecting tolls after they are paid off and redirecting the money for pork is.
Let the citizens of some other part of the state pay tolls to build their highway; and this time, set a date certain for them to expire. It is time to tear down the tollbooths and roll this portions of I-77 into the management of the DOH.
These artists at Tamarack are making a living that is ultimately funded by the WV taxpayer. No matter what argument someone makes about where the funds for Tamarack may come from, whether it’s tolls or concessions, those monies should be going towards upkeep of the roads, not to Tamarack. Sure, it’s nice that some of these artists are able to live their dream and make a living doing what they love, but that is done at the taxpayers expense. The taxpayers must make up the shortfalls in other areas of the state budget that this misdirection of funds to Tamarack creates.
Charles,
Don’t forget that a huge amount of toll revenue is generated by the out-of-state traffic. That’s the best thing for a state legislator–higher taxes for people who can’t vote you out of office. This is why hotel taxes are so high anywhere you go.
Charles, you say that “Joe” is redirecting highway funds to the Eastern Panhandle. We have not noticed. Berkeley County grew by 21,000 residents in the last six years and sure could use some of our taxmoney back for roads.
That’s Tamarack’s dirty little secret.
Tourists aren’t buying the arts & crafts. The state is.
They buy what is produced, warehouse it, mark it up and then try and sell it.
It’s welfare for artists.
Pay off the turnpike bonds and remove the tools.
I meant tolls.
The EPH still needs more highway construction for the increased population, but it is a fact. The governor did indeed move several EPH highway projects up in priority and virtually every southern WV project off the list altogether.
I was up there a few weeks ago and seen for myself WV9 about ready to open.
McDowell County was the 2nd largest county in the state in 1950, and yet it got no major highways when the state interstate system was built. The only way there ever was a 4-lane highway in southern WV before 1980 was due to the tolls.
No one along I-70, I-79, I-81, I-64 west of Charleston, and I-77 north of Charleston was ever asked to pay a toll. When all these roads were planned and built, the southern third was the most densely populated portion of the state. That is why once upon a time the Rahall district was the smallest in land area.
Increased population? Are you talking about WVa?
Why do we have 2 State Roads and 2 State Road Administrations and the associated costs ?
Put the damm road under the divisions of highways, repaint the seperate equipment and trucks, charge the tolls and give the proceeds to State roads and FIRE every one of the Parkways employees.
Where is the rocket science ?