♪♪
-RapidRide J is my bus,
I moved up here from LA without a car
and the 70 is my bus that I take to work every day.
So I'm really, really excited.
This is a transformational project
creating a safe, reliable, attractive,
bus connection between downtown
and the University of Washington,
while making once in a generation streetscape
and infrastructure improvements for the community of Eastlake.
Our partnership with Seattle Public Utilities,
City Light, and King County Metro
highlights Mayor Harrell's One Seattle approach.
Before I turn it over to each of our speakers,
there's a few folks who were instrumental
in getting us to where we were today,
and I'd like to acknowledge them --
Deputy Mayor Adiam Emery, Senior --
SDoT Senior Deputy Director, Francisco Stefan,
who oversees our design and capital projects,
SDoT Director of Capital Projects,
Julius Rwamashongye.
Thank you, Julius.
SDoT Supervising Project Manager,
Garth Merrill, who's been leading this project.
Thank you, Garth.
And SDoT Communications Lead, Darrell Bulmer,
who is often seen on foot, walking the neighborhood,
talking to residents and businesses.
Now that I've been here 16 months,
I've gotten to know Mayor Harrell pretty well,
and this project combines two of his favorite things, transit,
and the University of Washington.
So I imagine he's pretty fired up,
I'd like to introduce my boss, Mayor Bruce Harrell.
-Thank you, Greg.
Thank you, Greg.
I had a great idea this morning, let's hold a press conference
and let's have one of the greatest announced this week
and make transit wise, let's have the senator there,
the FTA administrator there, the King County Executive there,
and then let's just be 20 minutes late.
Actually what happened was the reason
I'm wearing this scarf is,
I apologize to all of you for being late,
but we were celebrating the 75th Republic of India,
their signing of their constitution and we are opening
the Consulate General's office in the Federal Reserve Building,
and we had a huge congregation and press event there
and I had to wait a turn to make my remarks.
So I apologize to all of you for being late. My apologies.
Now, what I really woke up thinking about
was this great celebration of our FTA Small
Starts Grant funding for the RapidRide J Line Project,
and the partnership between the City
of Seattle and King County Metro.
This is indeed exciting and as Gregory Spotts mentioned,
it sort of pulls all of what we're trying to do here
in this great area, this great city,
pulls it all together in terms of transit and mobility,
and looking at an area that is filled with jobs
and job opportunities and technology, and innovation,
and sort of brings it all together to make sure
that one of the most important things
we can deliver are good transportation solutions.
Everyone we know, regardless to the demographic,
deserves access to swift,
reliable transit that gets them where they need to go.
This particular RapidRide J Line
will expand our transit capacity today
and support our plans for future mobility
needs and emission reduction goals.
You've heard us talk about our climate agenda
and our transportation solutions,
and this in addition to some of the other work
we're going to integrate,
this sort of brings it all together.
We are trying to be efficient
as we look at our budget challenges,
so with Seattle Public Utilities doing some work
installing a new water main at the same time,
and in some of our climate work, looking at 100 trees
that we will also plant and nature and grow,
we're pulling all of our connections together,
looking at our downtown, Belltown,
South Lake Union, Eastlake,
and the university district neighborhoods,
pulling it all together.
When Seattle builds reliable transit
and transportation infrastructure,
our residents use it. It's as simple as that.
We are committed to enhancing access
to help our people get around.
Transit improvements are some of the most important investments
we can make to build a better
and more prosperous future for the city,
and we always try to talk about our transit solutions
in the context of what we're trying to do to help our people
and address our climate challenges at the same time.
So in closing, these huge investments
could not be possible without partners,
$64.2 million to improve Seattle's transit,
our Federal partners, Senator Murray,
and even though some of her partners are not here,
I would like to recognize Senator Cantwell
and Congressman Jayapal,
because I know you all talk all the time
and when you're not around,
we mention you for all the great work you're doing.
It's very important that we recognize
our systems are working.
What I mean by that is, both the county,
the metro, our Federal partners, our local government,
we're working together in a time of chaos,
we have to recognize that, so while I joke about that,
I'm very serious about when our systems are working.
Our FTA Administrator, Nuria Fernandez,
who I've gotten a chance to know now,
our federal partners, the systems are working.
Thank you for your leadership.
Thank you for traveling from D.C.
and your administration's support of this project,
again, contributing $64.2 million
to improve our Seattle's transit.
And with that, because I was late,
I don't know who I'm supposed to introduce next,
but I'm going to guess it's someone in back of me.
Okay, thank you, Gregory Spotts, and again, thank you for --
and I want to thank the media for bringing attention to this
because once again,
we always put our transit investments
and our strategy and the context of always fighting climate
and helping people move around and get around.
Thank you very much.
Gregory Spotts.
-Thank you so much, Mayor, and thank you.
We, everyone at SDoT feels so well-supported by you
on all of our vital transit work.
I'm really honored to introduce Senator Patty Murray,
who has an unparalleled record of bringing investment
to Washington and the Puget Sound region,
and is a great champion for mobility
and reducing carbon emissions through transportation.
Senator Patty Murray, thank you so much.
-Oh, you broke it.
-Yeah, I did. Hold on.
I used to be in the record business too.
-Oh no.
-I think it's -- oh, is one of the --
Hold on one second.
See if I can --
-If you just elect people who are shorter, we wouldn't --
-Try that.
Oh, we took it off again. Hold on.
-I can hold it.
-I think it's good, if we don't touch it any more.
Okay, try that.
-So everybody else is going to have to get shorter after me.
Mayor, thank you so much, it is really great to be here.
I just have to correct one thing that the mayor said,
everything else was perfect, we were not all late, Mayor.
But we forgive you this time and it's great to be here with you.
I am really glad to join everyone today
as we announce a big federal investment of over $64 million
in a public transportation project
that is going to really make a difference in the daily lives
and commutes of so many people here in Washington state.
This project packs a heck of a lot into five miles.
When we're done here, we will have new and upgraded stations,
miles of new and upgraded transit only lanes,
as well as new protected bike lanes,
which will all help connect the U-district
with Eastlake and South Lake Union neighborhoods
all the way to downtown.
Not to mention, it's going to plug these neighborhoods
into the rest of our robust transportation system.
And with all of that,
the project is also going to repair sidewalks,
repave roads, replace a water main,
make dozens of intersections safer,
and plant hundreds of trees.
And let's not forget when they're done,
this won't just mean fewer cars on the road,
and less time spent in traffic,
it is also going to help us lower greenhouse emissions
while creating 250 jobs.
People here continue to make one thing very clear,
and that is they want more public transit.
That's why I work hard every year, year after year,
to give people what they want and to secure as much funding
for the capital investments grants program,
which is supporting this project as I am able to.
And I was really glad to successfully deliver
a major infusion into the program
through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Just think about how much projects
like this open up our city,
right near this intersection alone,
there's so many examples.
The J Line expansion will make this corner more accessible
to researchers who are heading to Fred Hutch
and the Allen Institute who work here,
patients who are heading there for treatment,
UW students who are going to work or have internships,
families who are celebrating a special occasion
at Daniel Boilers over here and Argosy Dinner Cruise,
and visitors who stay nearby here
or are interested in seeing the MOHAI over here.
And that's just one corner we're talking about,
one corner in this whole project.
So, remember, this is a five mile project.
So I can't tell you how excited I was to learn some of the money
that I fought hard to secure for the Capital
Investments Grant Program, was coming right here to Seattle
to make the RapidRide J Line Project a reality.
And I am so pleased today
to have the FTA Administrator Fernandez
who works with communities like Seattle
to implement this program,
who came here to be with us today as well.
As well as many other local partners who know better
than anyone what a game changer will be, Mayor Harrell,
Executive Constantine, and Counsel Member Rivera,
great to have you all here as well
as everyone else who's here.
I really look forward to watching this project
put these federal funds to work,
and I'm going to keep working back in the other Washington
to make sure we're moving forward every day
to make the investments
that really are game changers for people in our communities.
Thank you so much.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you so much, Senator,
we're staying at the federal level.
The Federal Transit Administration
is the grantor here
and Administrator Nuria Fernandez is here with us,
and she's no stranger to Seattle,
she has family here, she spends time here,
and we're just so honored that she made it here from D.C.
to celebrate this wonderful grant.
Come on up Nuria, thank you.
-Thank you very much and let me not touch this.
So good day to all of you. It's so wonderful to be back in
Seattle, talking about money and talking about a great project.
So I wanted to take this opportunity
to recognize a few people
because even though we acknowledge,
we know that with public transportation,
you cannot see these type of projects become a reality
unless there are people who are committed,
starting at the planning level,
those who bring the ideas, those who are planning it,
designing it, and those who are going to be executing it.
So it's such a fortunate thing that I'm here.
This region is one of the greatest regions,
it has been a champion of public transit in all of its forms,
and somehow we seem to be able to find additional projects
to support you all with
and I'm so glad that you have a roadmap.
You have developed a plan
and now you are working that plan.
So today I am delighted to be able to join all of you
to announce the award of the $64 million,
you heard both the mayor and the senator mention $64 million.
It's a big deal.
This project is a $450 million project,
$64 million of federal support,
and it's what makes the difference,
it's all of the partners coming together, to help deliver
these infrastructure improvements in communities.
The RapidRide J Line is part of our Capital
Investments Program, and it is a testament
that the city of Seattle and King County,
through its hard work and collaboration,
listening to the community,
continues to bring these outstanding benefits
to transit riders in the region. So for this latest line,
congratulations are in order to Greg Spotts
and his team at SDoT
and the amazing project delivery team,
they're all here, so glad to have you all.
Yes, take credit for this,
you all are going to make this happen.
And certainly General Manager Michelle Allison,
who has just been terrific leading
King Country as the project was being developed,
well planned and developed,
and now getting ready for execution.
Mayor Harrell and County Executive
Constantine, you, both of you,
I feel like we're always either groundbreaking
or doing something together, they are so committed
to transit improvements throughout the greater
Seattle, along with their colleagues on the City Council
and on the King County Councils.
Well, I also want to recognize the Washington
Congressional Delegation because I'm standing
because those who represent you in Washington, D.C.
made it possible.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
that was signed into law by President Biden
was a law that was passed by Congress
and thank you so much, Senator Murray, you have been amazing.
I know Senator Cantwell is not here,
there may be representatives of her office in the audience,
and we have mentioned all the other representatives
for this region in Washington, D.C.,
they make these changes possible by appropriating,
authorizing appropriating the funds.
Public transportation could not be possible
without the workforce who keeps transit moving.
Let's remember that workforce.
These are the individuals that come in
every day to drive the bus, to drive the, to ride,
to lead the ferry, to make the changes in mobility
that get us to where we want to go.
So I want to take this opportunity
to give a shout out to ATU Local 587,
and to Richard's who is here back there,
he's the driver, this is his bus,
so thank you for what you do, thank you for being safe
and let's all make sure, that we recognize the challenges
that transit operators are facing in America today.
And we give them the honor and respect that they deserve.
Because they're coming to do their job.
So, since the J Line will be such a benefit to the UDUB,
I'm glad that Janis Shin is here as well,
representing the Huskies community.
And last but not least, I want to give the proper recognition
to our Regional Administrator, Susan Fletcher and her team
for doing such a great job of administering
all the projects, all the funding,
all the grants, answering all the questions
that you all have in this project
and through all the Pacific Northwest.
So, thank you.
Yes, these things do not happen without people,
so we want to spend a few minutes.
I know we're running short on time.
But let me just say this, the J Line is now the seventh
RapidRide project funded with a federal construction grant.
Yes, seven.
Our support goes way back, beginning of the alphabet,
with the A Line in 2009, let's not forget.
So as my boss, Secretary Pete Buttigieg,
reminds us that we have been entrusted
with quite a lot of responsibility
and we need to make sure that we're building
good projects well. And that is exactly what
Seattle has been doing time and time again,
and that is why we keep coming back when we're asked,
and saying yes.
Let's fund this project. This line
is going to create exciting opportunities with stations
at some of the busiest destinations in the city,
including downtown, Eastlake,
and the University of Washington's main campus,
we serve 70 thousand students, faculty, and staff,
and we want them all on this line.
So for those who work at Amazon and other employers
along the corridor,
getting there is going to be a breeze.
This project with its new bike paths
and sidewalks and multi-use trails,
is also going to make it much easier to get on board
and connect with other transit lines,
like light rail, the Sounder Commuter Rail,
Ferries, and other RapidRide lines, seamlessly.
So the RapidRide is a great example of bus rapid transit
which has been redefined, it has clearly met
and will continue to exceed expectations.
And that is why we're funding these bus rapid transit projects
across the country, $652 million so far for,
42 more are in the pipeline and they keep coming.
What we're seeing here in Seattle
and across the country is that
this Biden Harris Administration,
this investment in public transportation is critical.
And it's paying off.
On top of the concrete, asphalt, and steel,
the new transit stations,
bridges, broadband lines and more are investments
that are helping communities like Seattle deliver
on the priorities that really matter --
addressing the climate crisis, increasing equity,
and building an economy that works for everyone.
So it sounds like a pretty good deal to me,
and I know that you all think so too.
So now let's celebrate this wonderful project
and I look forward to coming back to take a ride.
Thank you.
-Thank you so much. This has made an easy transition
because Administrator Fernandez said,
it's easy to invest in Seattle and King County
because we have a roadmap.
So I'd like to introduce one of the drafters
of that regional transportation roadmap,
King County Executive, Dow Constantine.
[ Applause ]
-Well, thank you, thank you so much, Greg.
Thank you Mayor Harrell, Administrator Fernandez,
and I want to particularly thank Senator Murray,
who over the years and really decades
has made cure that our nation was focused on funding transit
and made sure that we understood what we needed to do
to bring some of that transit funding here to our region.
You have been a true champion, Senator, thank you so very much.
[ Applause ]
Targeted investments like this one mean
even more people will be able to take transit
and will take transit.
And their journeys will be smoother and more reliable.
Every day Metro Route 70 carries thousands of people
between the University district and South Lake Union,
and downtown Seattle.
It is a workhorse of our transit network.
But when the RapidRide J Line launches,
that workhorse is going to be a little more of a race horse.
With this financial support,
we are closer to making the J Line a reality.
With fast frequent service.
And this is a moment to celebrate.
Celebrate the ongoing collaborative work
that brought us here.
Residents, businesses, workers, riders, they all helped shape
the improvements that the RapidRide J Line will deliver.
Our partnership with the City of Seattle puts those riders first.
With improvements for the community
all along this five mile line,
improvements that will make it easier and safer to board
and faster to ride.
And even during rush hour transit riders in this community
will keep moving,
thanks to dedicated bus lanes and priority bus signals,
and infrastructure to support this new line.
RapidRide is the highest level of investment
in customer experience at Metro.
And here's what that means -- new curb cuts,
new crosswalks, new sidewalks, riders can now more easily walk
and roll to upgraded bus stations
and they will be able to do that along this line as well.
At those stops, riders have the ease of all door boarding.
They have access to real-time information
about when the next bus is going to arrive,
and all of these innovations make it easier
than ever to skip the car, skip the traffic,
skip the parking headaches, and travel on transit.
The road ahead for RapidRide is exciting.
But it's important to look back briefly on how we got here.
I was talking with Director Michelle Allison
about the origins of RapidRide and it was a day not unlike this
when I stood with then Executive Ron Sims,
and he rolled out a bus gussied up in a new livery
and explained his vision for this new mode,
where we would be able to carry more people faster
in improved customer experience
and we all thought it was a pretty good idea,
but it seemed like it was going to be a real challenge.
Well how many RapidRide lines do we have now?
This is going to be the G Line,
no, this is going to be a J Line,
the G Line will open on Madison this year, this year.
And then out of order we have the R Line
in the Rainier Valley, but that's fine.
That made sense.
But the first line launched in 2010,
and we just keep getting better and better
with every route we add to the network.
So today the RapidRide network
stretches from Seattle to Shoreline
to Burien, to Renton, to Bellevue,
and it's a critical piece of our region's
transit mobility future.
So, we look forward to welcoming the RapidRide J Line
to the Metro family.
We could never have been here
without this important partnership we have
with the Federal Government and again,
I want to thank the Administrator,
thank Secretary Buttigieg and President Biden
and thank you Senator Murray, for always being our champion.
Thank you so much.
-Thank you, County Executive, and we have two more speakers
but we're going to do the big check photo op right now
and then we'll get to our last two speakers.
Here it comes.
Come on in there.
-Here. I got you.
-Do they want us behind the podium or come forward?
-Yeah, in front of the podium because the podium is...
-We're just going to follow the Administrator.
-Behind you. You all can gather around.
-On the count of three, everybody.
One, two, and three.
-And all right here.
-One more right here, if you would.
-Thank you, sir.
-Great, any speakers who have to go to other commitments,
that's fine and we will continue with two more speakers.
Something that I'm very proud of in my job
as SDoT director is the deeply collaborative
and trusting relationship
between King County Metro and SDoT.
And I have work in a variety of government settings
and this is one of the most forward thinking collaborative,
caring laser focused
on shared values intergovernmental relationships
that I've ever been a part of.
So I'm really pleased to introduce,
King County Metro General Manager, Michelle Allison.
Thank you for your leadership and your partnership.
-Thank you for those kind words,
also kind of anticlimactic post-big check,
so thanks for sticking around.
I appreciate it. It's really great.
I also want to give a special shout
out to our Metro folks in the crowd, I see you all.
Thank you so much. This is incredible.
I love these moments because you get to see
the people behind the concrete and the bus and the,
and all of the things that it takes to make it work,
and it's the true partnership of agencies,
and the support of the Federal Government
that's represented here today that makes me the most proud.
Extending Metro's sincere appreciation
to Administer Fernandez and Senator Murray
for their support,
decades long support in this region to make today
and the future investments possible.
This is truly an incredible day for transit
and we have a really bright future ahead.
Every week at King County Metro,
we welcome aboard over one million people.
That only happens because this region
and this country as we've talked about today,
are investing in these critical connections.
These connections tie us together
and they move us forward.
These connections aren't only in the form of buses,
on-demand vehicles, paratransit, water taxies,
and other modes.
These connections are about the people
and the partnerships displayed here today.
We have so many people who work so hard
to get us to where we need to be.
Richard, it's you and your colleagues,
thank you so much for you service.
We're excited to give you more service
so that you can help us get to school,
get to work, and get back home safely.
I appreciate you.
Today marks another important step,
we're expanding our network of frequent
and reliable RapidRide lines.
The RapidRide J Line will be a major upgrade
for the popular route 70.
The new line will dramatically improve connections to downtown
Seattle, South Lake Union, Eastlake,
and the University district.
Riders and community members consistently tell us
that what matters most is frequent, reliable,
and safe transit.
And that is exactly what we're celebrating here today.
This project invests $128 million
to help make transit work better and work for the people.
Thank you again to the City of Seattle
through the partnership and collaboration
so many really creative solutions
to get us to where we are today.
When we work together to make transit better
and remove barriers,
we actually move the region forward.
You may be an everyday rider
or you may be boarding for the first time,
either way, we continue to be focused on your enter journey,
from door to door, not just your time on the bus.
What does that actually mean?
Well, in moments like this,
we're designing for RapidRide J Line
both through partnership with Metro and the City of Seattle,
miles of sidewalk and crosswalk improvement.
We're upgrading lighting and installing
real-time information signs at our stations.
We know that the bus route isn't just the fastest route,
we know it is also important to be easy to use,
and to use it safely. When construction is complete,
the RapidRide J Line will deliver fast transit,
it will be inviting, it'll be safe,
and it'll also be fast and frequent.
I'm going to step back for a moment
and just appreciate where we are today,
that working with the FTA and the City of Seattle,
we've built foundational transit partnership
spanning more than a decade.
This includes delivering four RapidRide lines
for the City of Seattle, and as the Executive mentioned,
we all get to get together again later this year
and celebrate the launch of the G Line.
At Metro, we're incredibly proud to be moving toward 100 percent
zero emission fleet. And along the way,
RapidRide is one of the most effective tools Metro
has in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions
and tackling our climate crisis.
The new J Line is unique in helping us achieve that.
It will be the first RapidRide line
to use fully electric trolleys,
Metro's original zero emission basis,
Janine, I see you smiling.
So thank you everyone and thank you again
for our partners on this journey,
we are delighted to have you celebrating the good work
that's represented here today. I really appreciate it.
-Thank you General Manager Allison.
So our final speaker is going to tell us a little bit about
how this is important to real people.
Janis Shin, a University of Washington student,
she served as chair of the Provost Advisory Committee
for Students. As a doctoral student,
she will share the integral role public transportation
has played in her Husky experience.
Thanks to the University of Washington's U-pass program,
a transit pass initiative championed by student advocates
and I see some of our friends from UW here.
How are you?
So, Janis, come talk to us about the impact of this for students.
-Thank you.
I'm so happy to take part in this celebration
and I want to thank everyone who's made this possible.
My name is Janis Shin,
and I have attended the University of Washington
for the past eight years. Currently I'm a doctoral student
in the Molecular Engineering and Sciences Program,
and the chair of the Provost Advisory Committee for Students.
The University of Washington will contribute $6 million
to the J Line project.
University of Washington students
have a strong commitment to sustainable
and accessible public transit.
We recognize the dire global climate situation
and its impact on public health and the environment.
The J Line will ensure an electrified fleet,
work towards reducing carbon emissions,
increase our tree canopy, provide protection for cyclists,
and improve safety and accessibility for all.
I hope that the success of this project snowballs
into more public funding for further decarbonization
on campus and in Seattle. I'm excited to see the J Line
connecting students to more opportunities.
Public transportation expands the educational
and career horizons for many university students
as it connects us to the sea of opportunities
that our region has to offer.
It also levels the playing field,
ensuring that all students can travel to and from campus
with ease, regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Public transit has been integral to my Husky experience.
Between my packed class schedule,
I've interned at the Center for Infectious Disease Research
in South Lake Union,
I've volunteered as a science mentor at Bryant Elementary,
and I've cheered on the Huskies at the stadium.
All of this is why I'm so excited
about the ongoing investments, like the RapidRide J Line,
being made by the university, city and county,
and Federal Government, to expand transit options
for all of us living between downtown Seattle
and the University District station.
So, to everyone who has made this possible,
I just want to say, thank you again.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you so much, Janis.
That's the end of our program, thank you everyone for coming.
Are we taking any questions?
-We've got time for maybe a couple questions.
-Okay, just a few questions.
Why don't you come up and run that part of it.
-Mike.
-This question is for Administrator Fernandez,
so the FTA staff.
Many years ago FTA pledged $75 million
to help build the First Avenue streetcar.
City of Seattle have been waffling on that
as cost prohibitive for six or seven years.
How much longer is that valid and what does
Seattle have to do to keep the $75 million available?
-Well I would love to be able to answer that question,
but I will turn to Susan Fletcher,
who's our regional administrator,
because I am not familiar with the intricacies
and the details of the early award.
-We are waiting for the city
to be able to move that project forward.
I know there's some budget cuts with the city
that were just in the newspaper,
so we haven't had a chance to meet with them about that.
But the money is still available to the city for that project.
-How long is it good for? -I believe it was just --
-When was it awarded?
-I don't know when it was awarded.
We'll get the dates for you on that.
-Mike, I want to make a correction on your question,
but thanks for the question.
Number one, the City of Seattle has been doing,
we have not been waffling on the issue.
Quite frankly, to the contrary,
we've been studying very thoroughly the cost.
And I think the most recent report did exceed our cost,
I will say north of $400 million.
We talked about it under the Gregory Spotts' vision
with his department, this culture connector
and what we're trying to do, but in a budget crisis
that we're sort of facing north of $250 million,
we have to factor into our priorities.
But I want to actually thank the department
for doing such a thorough analysis
of looking at the feasibility. But I don't think waffling
would be a proper description of our study.
-Well, what's your game plan in '24?
Are you going to propose new money to move it ahead?
-Go ahead.
-We're low on time, I want to make sure people
have time to ask their question.
-I'll talk to you offline, Mike.
-I think we've got time for one last question. Brian.
-I have something to ask the mayor,
his vision for the transit element
of the next transportation levy.
-Yeah, thanks, and I also wanted
to thank Janis for your words,
like Dow and I, we all were molecular engineer graduates
of the University of Washington.
So the question is about our transportation levy,
and we think we have a lot of traction,
this is on the heels of a $970 million housing levy,
that we passed, the voters passed
and we are so thankful for that, to address our housing needs.
This year we'll put a levy on the ballot.
We are just now really looking at the priorities,
and so I don't want to get in front of my skis.
It will bottom-up approach, in other words,
we'll talk to transit advocates, we lead with transit,
we lead with safety, we lead with equity,
and so we'll go through this analysis this year.
It's actually exciting, we will talk to all of you
that are transit geeks like many of us,
and figure out a great package and in the meantime,
we'll convince the voters
that we use our money efficiently and effectively
and that, on this particular project
is why I did mention SPU's water main,
the work we will do, so we'll look at every
opportunity to investing transit,
how we can also save the taxpayers money
in terms of utilities and facilities relocation.
And so I'm not going to talk about our list of priorities,
but we have a very thorough analysis
on how we're going about this.
There's many ways to look at a budget,
as I talked about, zero based budgeting,
action oriented budgeting, incremental budgeting,
we'll look at this levy through several lenses
and come up with a great package for the voters.