I just talked with Mr. Ross at CAPMETRO. He told me a lot of what is going on with CAPMETRO these days and said he would email with additional information soon. He also offered to meet with the neighborhood as a whole or with a sub group of officers from affected neighborhoods. He is in charge of the track along 3 to 4 stations starting with the Lamar station going South. Here is a summary of topics discussed:

1) They have a $90 million budget for all work on this project.

2) CAPMETRO did not set aside funds for sound or visual barrier Mitigation.

3) They are building an operations facility on the tracks just north of 183 for rail cars and buses.

4) AllSystemsGo is on hold
a) Board wanted more information on the rapid buses, since they are 3 times the cost of a regular bus
b) The street car concept from old Muller Airport to downtown is on hold. I think because of funding
c) The commuter rail from Austin to San Antonio is on hold for funding and additional negotiations with Union Pacific.

5) I asked Ross about people still accessing the track area. I told him the neighborhood had concerns about kids playing back there. He told me that CAPMETRO was going to meet with every Elementary school within 1 mile of the track to go over Safety. I asked him to send me the safety document so that our neighborhood can review.

6) The "Rails with Trails" research is still going on and CAPMETRO plans to implement this where they have money and where they get acceptance.

7) The "North Lamar Station" located at old Huntsman site is not yet finalized. Depending on money, CAPMETRO still has 2 options (1 being more expensive than the other). The more expensive one has a "glass" canopy -- WOW.

8) I also asked him to clean up the dead tree from behind my neighbor's house.

Disclaimer -- These are my notes and could contain errors or misunderstandings. I will do my best to clarify if needed.