I'll admit to a bit of surprise to find that Middletown's Economic Development Committee voted unanimously to prepare a report to address parking and transit issues in town which will include a recommendation to run a streetcar, on rails, down the length of Main Street. The line would run two cars to provide minimal waits between car arrivals.
Tom Cheeseman, director of the Middletown Transit District, who would oversee the streetcar, made a passionate presentation about the practical, and economic development issues of the streetcar line, ending with, "You got to believe."
And it seems like many in the room did believe.
Along with the streetcars, the report, which will need to be presented to the Common Council and Central Business District for approval, the report will suggest short term solutions to the downtown parking issues plaguing center city businesses (including mandating city hall employee parking to certain lots and street sites), suggestions for expansion of bike trails in and around the city (including short term and long term bike amenities), and long term suggestions for creating additional parking downtown.
The reports were created by three subcommittees of the EDC, and supported by Town Planner Bill Warner. Members of the EDC, and in particular, chairman Gerry Daley, accepted the recommendations enthusiastically.
The goal of the report is to demonstrate progress in planning to Federal Transit authorities, and to eliminate the risk of losing transit and parking dollars (to the tune of $15 million) set aside for use in Middletown projects.
The EDC plans a "dress rehearsal" of their presentation to the Council and CBD at the next Economic Development Committee meeting, with a presentation to the Common Council in May, and to the Central Business District in June.
As it turns out, Middletown may not be the first Connecticut city to see a restoration of a trolley line as New Haven already has created plans and estimates from bringing a five car loop to their downtown.
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