CTA wants park-and-ride lots soon

STEVEN A. McCALEB
103 ALVERADO DRIVE
LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI 39560
PHONE & FAX: (228)-868-8428
E-MAIL: info@mississippiwebsite.com
WEB SITE: www.mississippiwebsite.com

I reported about Coast Transit Authority, (CTA) 333 Debuys Road, Gulfport, Mississippi. Which is the Mississippi Gulf Coasts public transportation company.   This company was purchasing ( Mississippi Safety Inspection Stickers) for there 70 + buses, and other vehicles, using a purchase order number. They, (CTA), not being an authorized inspection station, and were not having there buses and other vehicles inspected by an authorized inspection station was beyond Mississippi Law.
This could mean that any person which rode on a CTA bus during this period could file a lawsuit against CTA citing Safety reasons.

Kevin Coggin, Maintenance Supervisor 

After being hired by Kevin Coggin, the Maintenance Supervisor, for the Parts Manager position. I found out quickly that they were not wanting  a parts manager, this was evident when after requesting over a two week period, a wall to wall inventory before the person which was the parts manager at the time left.

But Kevin Coggin kept saying, you don't need to do a wall to wall inventory of all parts.

After spending 20 years in the Seabees, and worked in the parts department, I knew well how to work as parts manager.

The Maintenance Supervisor, Kevin Coggin, and the Shop Forman, Steve Peterson were extremely close and made it impossible to work as a parts manager.

After working as Parts Manager for eight (8) months, Kevin Coggin fired me. I filed for unemployment and was granted. Kevin Coggin appealed, so the day of the hearing, Kevin Coggin and Steve Peterson came together to testify against me. after the hearing at the Gulfport Unemployment building. I was proven right and received $180 a week for a period of six (6) months.

Agency looking to build centers in Biloxi, Gulfport  

Since Coast Transit Authority is a non-profit organization and operates on state and federal funds, which means you never know how your tax money is being spent.

By GEOFF PENDER
THE SUN HERALD

Wednesday, March 21, 2001

GULFPORT - Coast Transit Authority hopes to have a large park-and-ride center built in Gulfport by the time a new federal courthouse opens in the summer of 2003.

I do not believe that Mississippi needs the Coast Transit Authority. After working as a driver, the promoted to dispatcher and before before becoming the parts manager, I saw nothing but money being poured into a never ending pit.

A similar center could open in Biloxi even earlier.

You must remember that CTA is a non-profit organization, and does not rely on making money. Therefore, the taxpayers keep pouring there money into a organization which may or may not be spending your taxpayers money wisely.

CTA, which provides bus service on the Coast, updated the Harrison County Board of Supervisors on its five-year, "multi-modal" transportation plan on Monday.

And what a plan it is, without the taxpayers money CTA would be out of business, and perhaps would be for the best. 

CTA has received pledges of funding from local governments, and hopes to receive more than $20 million in federal funding over the next five years. The money would fund a park-and-ride system including terminals where commuters and tourists can park their cars and hop on buses and electric shuttles. Large parking centers in Biloxi and Gulfport would provide the backbone of the system.

This means that CTA is asking for $4 million a year from the federal government (your tax dollars) along with local funds (again your tax dollars). To develop a "park and ride" system along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

I do not feel this new system will work. Who are these people going to be which will park there vehicles in a parking lot in order to ride a bus to where they want to go along the Coast.

The CTA already has in place buses which travel along the Mississippi Gulf Coast which pick up riders which have no other way of getting around the Coast. 

CTA representative Kevin Coggin on Monday told county supervisors that CTA hopes to begin negotiating to buy land for parking centers in Gulfport and Biloxi soon.

If CTA already has enough money to begin buying land, and has told the Harrison County Supervisors that CTA is beginning to negotiation for land. It seems too me that the decision has already been decided by CTA.

Sort of like putting the cart before the horse sort of thing! 

"To date, Congress has provided $6 million in discretionary funds," Coggin said. "We will be requesting another $10 million for fiscal year 2002."

So why is congress providing your tax dollars for a system which has not even been proven to work. $16 million of the people tax dollars down the drain.

Who is your Congressman, could it be Gene Taylor, gene.taylor@mail.house.gov, 
                                                                                                  E-mail address
5th District.

Perhaps you the taxpayers need to contact Congressman, Gene Taylor and request your money not be spent on an experimental, "park and ride" bus system.

Coggin said CTA has the funding to begin, but not finish, construction of the centers in Biloxi and Gulfport.

Again, I must say that I believe the Mississippian's tax dollars should be spent on the many other projects in Mississippi which need immediate attention. 

Harrison County has pledged $453,000 this year for the park-and-ride system, and Gulfport and Biloxi have pledged similar amounts. But Harrison County stopped short of agreeing to pay the same amount for the next four years. Some supervisors have expressed skepticism over the CTA plan.

I do not remember voting on our Harrison County Supervisors pledge for $453,000 to be spent on CTA's none proven "park and ride" system.

I think it is wise to be skeptic over the CTA's plan.

"This sounds like a very aggressive schedule you have, considering this is a five-year plan," said Supervisor Larry Benefield. "I just have a question about where the funding is going to come from to meet this new schedule."

Why doesn't Supervisor Larry Benefield know where the funding is coming from. He knows that CTA is a non-profit organization, and the only money for which CTA can operate is with the taxpayers money.

The point is, why would the Harrison County Supervisors, even consider taking the taxpayers money and giving it to an unproven system.

I hope I can persuade the federal government from spending $20 million of the taxpayers money in this project.

Coggin said that besides asking for more funding from Congress for 2002, CTA plans to file for federal transportation grants.

It sounds like CTA knows where to locate the taxpayers money, I wonder how much of the taxpayers money they have obtained in the last 10 years.

This would be a good question to ask the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) http://www.fta.dot.gov 
       CLICK HERE

Supervisors said Monday they want CTA to improve its existing bus service and focus on promoting mass transportation as a way to reduce traffic congestion.

But the Harrison County Supervisors have already earmarked $453,000 of taxpayers money to go forward towards this, not needed, "park and ride" system.

It sounds like our Supervisors are saying different things, like, no we do not support the "Park and ride" system. But here is $453,000 of the taxpayers money so you can begin your unproven project.

"You could work to take advantage of all the road closings we have during construction," said Supervisor Connie Rockco. "You could have a pickup stop around the Cedar Lake area when Popp's Ferry is closed."

It sounds like Supervisor Connie Rockco has never ridden the CTA's bus routes.

Geoff Pender can be reached at 896-2329 or at glpender@sunherald.com

STEVEN A. McCALEB

COMMENTARY