Augusta Chronicle Editorial Staff
We don't seek to rain on the "downtown trolley" parade -- only to slow it down.
And perhaps question whether it's going in the right direction.
A committee from Augusta recently visited Little Rock, Ark., to see a rail trolley system similar to one being studied for downtown Augusta. Members came back enthused.
We appreciate that enthusiasm; Augusta needs more of it. And we thank the committee members for taking time to see the system first-hand.
We only hope a feasibility study due at the end of this month will be an objective, real-world assessment of whether such a system would be the economic development tool the committee hopes -- or a boondoggle.
Judging from readers' reactions to the Chronicle story of the committee's trip, trolley supporters have a San Francisco-style hill to climb.
"This is all well and good if there were things that tourists to Augusta would want to visit along the route. The fact is, Augusta is not a tourist destination for people other than Masters fans," wrote a reader named LEO.
"So let me get this right: build a rail system to take people back and forth to facilities that haven't been constructed?" wrote a reader called "bone."
"Why would people ride a streetcar if they aren't riding the buses?" notes "corgimom."
"There is nothing downtown that anyone outside of Augusta will make a specific trip to come and see. We have no aquarium, no riverfront full of shops and cafes," adds "Big vike."
"As an avid supporter of downtown, this is simply a waste of money," writes businessman Coco Rubio.
Who could blame the skeptics? Development ideas in recent years have been nothing short of helter-skelter, and even a little kooky. How about a racetrack? How about a new canal going down Ellis Street? How about a new baseball stadium?
A series of ideas du jour does not a vision make.
None of this means the trolley system should be rejected out of hand. We encourage skeptics to keep an open mind.
Supporters say it's not really for tourists so much as for residents and visitors, such as those here for a convention. They look at Little Rock -- with similar populations and even a North Little Rock on the other side of the river -- and say it can help spur development.
They say Little Rock has seen $400 million in new development along the line there since it opened in 2004. Meanwhile, ridership has doubled to 400,000 a year.
But if it's deemed feasible here, it needs to be viewed in a much bigger context. How does it fit within the city's new master plan unveiled only months ago? Can we really build it and expect them "to come"?
And even if the $25 million system can be built 90 percent with federal money, as the committee hopes, that leaves Augusta to raise $2.5 million.
A few things might make the rail trolley system more feasible -- most importantly a more fully developed riverfront. A trade, exhibit and event center has been approved by voters, but has been bogged down at the Augusta Commission, which has been unable to agree on going forward. A condominium, office and retail project slated for the old depot property in the 500 block of Reynolds along the river also failed to materialize.
If Augusta were aggressively marketing itself as a retirement destination, particularly with high-end units along the river, then a trolley that runs to the city's extensive medical complex would be a great addition.
Down the block, though, the Golf and Gardens property along the river has become so neglected that volunteers have stepped in just to trim back the vegetation.
Is a trolley system supposed to be the cart or the horse for changing all that?
Both, supporters say.
We'll see.
