State approves funding for $9M footbridge over Rt. 1 near Gillette Stadium

[jays52]

I wish I could get $9M in free capital for my company....

 

[Patjew]

Not surprised Krafty wheeled and dealed for the money. Let's hope it will help us get in and out of the stadium faster. The process of getting into that stadium is the worst in the NFL.

Getting out is much worse.

 

[shmessy]

From the map it looks like the proposed footbridge is right next to the car/foot bridge that already exists. You would think they would move it further North on Route 1, near where everybody crosses now.

Answer: Maximum foottraffic flow for the stores at Patriot Place. Put that bridge too much further north and folks can just fly past the Medical center/CBS Scene right to the Hall and Lighthouse entrance. Instead, make 'em run the gauntlet of stores - - that looks to be the strategy.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I wish I could get $9M in free capital for my company....

Well, Kraft has provided you with a blueprint. Build/develop a couple of multi million dollar facilities on opposite sides of a major thoroughfare that each provided interim jobs for thousands of taxpaying construction workers followed by long term employment for thousands more taxpayers occupying the facilities you develop thereby expanding the tax base for a town and state and you too can apply for stimulus money designed to facilitate just such continuing employment development opportunities... For good measure agree to manage the construction (his projects amazingly come in on time and under budget...) and ongoing maintenance (at your own expense) of said infrastructure yourself at no future cost to the state and you too will make your proposal a slam dunk for anyone with half a brain and no politically driven agenda to drive their opposition...

Honestly, some of you are like :bricks:

 

[shmessy]

I wish I could get $9M in free capital for my company....

Here's how to do it, genius:

1) singlehandedly save a $174 million dollar company from moving out of state to Missouri

2) then invest $800 million of your own money into building a mini-city where there was virtually nothing beforehand.

3) grow that $174 million company into one worth well north of $1 billion


Simple as that.


[Edit] Looks like Mo beat me to the punch.

 

[shmessy]

BTW, folks, Gator Mike in post #33 probably hit the fundamental point on the head. Route 1 is a state road/property. Kraft CAN'T legally build over it - - it would violate all kinds of right-of-way laws. He owns property on both sides of the road (which is why he isn't getting state funds for anything on his property), but the roads belong to the state/town.

Think: This is why he has to pay the exhorbitant time and a half rates to the State Troopers/Fox Police for traffic control instead of saving $40-50 per hour by using the CSC folks in the yellow jackets for that.

It's all about JURISDICTION. Muzz, I won't charge you a penny for that lesson!

 

[alamo]

Cool , my State is helping Mr Kraft , who is ranked #468 of all The World's Billionaires.

How many kids with no health insurance from poor neighborhoods ?

The reasoning is that, in a capitalistic society, the best and most self-sustaining way to get those kids health insurance is to create jobs for their parents. For instance by building stores and an office park where there previously was nothing.

That's the justification, now whether that's how it works out or whether people with influence take undue advantage of the process is of course a point open to debate. But many people (especially here) see the investments Kraft has made in infrastructure and are comfortable with this. He's no saint, he made those investments for his own future profit, but again that's how our economic system works, and without such investments we would be worse off as a society.

 

[muzz]

BTW, folks, Gator Mike in post #33 probably hit the fundamental point on the head. Route 1 is a state road/property. Kraft CAN'T legally build over it - - it would violate all kinds of right-of-way laws. He owns property on both sides of the road (which is why he isn't getting state funds for anything on his property), but the roads belong to the state/town.

Think: This is why he has to pay the exhorbitant time and a half rates to the State Troopers/Fox Police for traffic control instead of saving $40-50 per hour by using the CSC folks in the yellow jackets for that.

Sorry, those guys will be ripping us off anyways because the Statey Union will fight tooth and nail to keep those jobs..as the STATE has allowed them to do even though OTHER states say FU

It's all about JURISDICTION. Muzz, I won't charge you a penny for that lesson!

Why don't you guys charge more $ for these 'lessons"?

Juris MY ****tion!! We're gettin' screwed by the rich man...AGAIN!!

BTW, I don't give 2 ****s that he "saved" the Pats, that was a BUSINESS decision, and he's making $ HAND OVER FIST with that business.

1) singlehandedly save a $174 million dollar company from moving out of state to Missouri- BUSINESS DECISION

2) then invest $800 million of your own money into building a mini-city where there was virtually nothing beforehand.-BUSINESS DECISION

3) grow that $174 million company into one worth well north of $1 billion-BUSINESS DECISION DONE WELL- OK, so...since he has these BILLIONS from all these great decisions (like RIPPING off fans for concessions and ridiculous parking fees.... but I digress) why the need for "help" from the poor taxpayers?

Why hasn't this "plan" gotten reviewed and instead just gotten "pushed through" ?
I'm NOT 100% certain, but I deal with Real Estate folks that deal with these types of things all the time (zoning board etc), and these things don't get pushed through unless there is preferential treatment, all plans on Public Land, especially those that require Public Funding, require Review, because people HAVE to SIGN OFF on it.
TBO it's not like Joe6Pack is gonna miss 9Mill anyways, they'd just piss it away somewhere else.......that's not the point here though, as this is one of THOSE urinals.

 

[JAYHAWKS34]

Think: This is why he has to pay the exhorbitant time and a half rates to the State Troopers/Fox Police for traffic control instead of saving $40-50 per hour by using the CSC folks in the yellow jackets for that.

indeed, not even close to as many troopes will be needed, so many of them were used to "help" people cross route 1

 

[shmessy]

1) singlehandedly save a $174 million dollar company from moving out of state to Missouri- BUSINESS DECISION

You lose all credibility with that one. He paid THE HIGHEST PRICE EVER (at that time) for a football franchise - - and it was a PATHETIC one at that......owning the worst stadium in the NFL......in the most god-forsaken, nondescript location in the NFL (apologies to our good posters from Foxboro). If you think that was some kind of selfish business sense, please stay away from handling money, because you are out of your league.

The easy money was to be made by moving to St Louis, LA, Houston, etc. Six years later, the easy and bigger money was to be made when he was offered half the state of Connecticut, plus the Governor's wife - - and he still walked away from that.

If you term all that simply a "business decision" then you live in an alternate universe.

 

[shmessy]

3) grow that $174 million company into one worth well north of $1 billion-BUSINESS DECISION DONE WELL- OK, so...since he has these BILLIONS from all these great decisions (like RIPPING off fans for concessions and ridiculous parking fees.... but I digress) why the need for "help" from the poor taxpayers?

Why hasn't this "plan" gotten reviewed and instead just gotten "pushed through" ?
I'm NOT 100% certain, but I deal with Real Estate folks that deal with these types of things all the time (zoning board etc), and these things don't get pushed through unless there is preferential treatment, all plans on Public Land, especially those that require Public Funding, require Review, because people HAVE to SIGN OFF on it.
TBO it's not like Joe6Pack is gonna miss 9Mill anyways, they'd just piss it away somewhere else.......that's not the point here though, as this is one of THOSE urinals.

"Pushed through"?????? Evidently, you missed the part where he has been in talks with the town since MARCH of this year (that's 8 months ago, muzz).

You keep ignoring the point that by law he CANNOT build the bridge over the state road - - it would be illegal, unless the town or state sold him the air rights (i.e. like what the Mass Pike Authority did with parcels over the pike in Boston to be platformed). They decided to not sell the air rights to him, that's their deal, not his fault. Keep yelling the knee-jerk reaction about how the "man" is screwing the little guy as much as you want. Evidently it makes you feel better. It simply doesn't hold water in this case. You think Deval Patrick did this on his own spur of the moment??? It passed by a 13-1 vote by a commission, and as stated before, Kraft had been negotiating with the town since at least March. Make up whatever alternate universe you need to sleep better at night, but those are the FACTS.

Now, if the government financed the stadium or the Bass Pro Shop at Patriot Place, that would be a different story.

 

[Patjew]

The reasoning is that, in a capitalistic society, the best and most self-sustaining way to get those kids health insurance is to create jobs for their parents. For instance by building stores and an office park where there previously was nothing.

That's the justification, now whether that's how it works out or whether people with influence take undue advantage of the process is of course a point open to debate. But many people (especially here) see the investments Kraft has made in infrastructure and are comfortable with this. He's no saint, he made those investments for his own future profit, but again that's how our economic system works, and without such investments we would be worse off as a society.

Profits, which by the way, can also be negative - AKA losses.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Correct me if I am wrong here ...

I don't think Bob Kraft could build a bridge on state property even if he wanted to but he is paying back on finished improvements.

Bob Kraft's vale to the local and state economy is legendary ... that $9 million is a drop in the bucket compared to the revenue he has earned for the state.

Massachusetts paid $72 million for infrastructure improvements around the stadium ... are people forgetting that Kraft pays that back over a 25 year period. So now a total of $81 million ... still a huge win for the state because they just spend the $9 million.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I don't think Bob Kraft could build a bridge on state property even if he wanted to but he is paying back on finished improvements.

Bob Kraft's vale to the local and state economy is legendary ... that $9 million is a drop in the bucket compared to the revenue he has earned for the state.

Massachusetts paid $72 million for infrastructure improvements around the stadium ... are people forgetting that Kraft pays that back over a 25 year period. So now a total of $81 million ... still a huge win for the state because they just spend the $9 million.

Kraft, risking his own capital has brought tremendous economic benifit and jobs to the state. The state's $9m expense using taxpayer dollars will facilitate the creation of even more jobs and produce additional tax revenue, a much better deal than Deval Patrick's solar energy company fiasco with taxpayers' money.

 

[RobertWeathers]

From a financial standpoint, the Commonwealth makes out tremendously here. The creation of Patriot Place and the revenues that the property generates outweigh the $9m.

 

[muzz]

My point ISN'T about the rights to build the bridge, obviously HE can't build it over Rte1 himself.
My biggest contention is that I'd bet $ that there are other projects that could use that 9 Mill, some of those 'Bypassed" Road repairs that were mentioned, etc.....
Not to mention that just because he has land on the other side of the street that the taxpayers should shoulder the load to pay for his customers to get there, and help him make even more $ by creating his own little floating red carpet to his tract of land on the other side.

Gee, needed Road Repairs or Floating red carpet for Rich people....hmmmmmmm

 

[muzz]

BTW, There are obviously many ways to look at it, and more than one have merit.
All I know is my town was waiting for $ to fix a small bridge, this little dinky bridge that should have been fixed in 3 months(MAX) took over a year and a 1/2 to re-open, this forced traffic into a choke point on an adjacent st., created more traffic on other streets NOT designed to handle that load, businesses and homeowners were affected,etc.....
ALOT of people were affected EVERYDAY because of this, NOT just 20x a year.

This repair did NOT take even remotely close to 9 Million, I would think there are many of these small bridges that people take for granted that could use that $ for repairs.

 

[shmessy]

My point ISN'T about the rights to build the bridge, obviously HE can't build it over Rte1 himself.
My biggest contention is that I'd bet $ that there are other projects that could use that 9 Mill, some of those 'Bypassed" Road repairs that were mentioned, etc.....
Not to mention that just because he has land on the other side of the street that the taxpayers should shoulder the load to pay for his customers to get there, and help him make even more $ by creating his own little floating red carpet to his tract of land on the other side.

Gee, needed Road Repairs or Floating red carpet for Rich people....hmmmmmmm

It all comes down to what is the "bang for the buck".

If that $9 million bridge helps alleviate the traffic congestion problem, brings major biotech companies to the site and increases foot traffic access to Patriot Placethereby increasing economic revenue to the state by $3 million per year versus fixing a road someplace else that increases economic benefit to the state by $1 million per year, then it's an easy call.

You're just hung up on who owns the land on the side of it. If you take the personal out of it, you may realize the cost-benefit argument better.

You also wrote: "ALOT of people were affected EVERYDAY because of this, NOT just 20x a year."

If you want to be that WILLFULLY IGNORANT of the fact that the benefit would be 365 days per year for Patriot Place, the Hotel, the Hospital and the biotechs that will be relocating there, then please respect others and keep that lie to yourself.

 

[Jimke]

A misuse of taxpayer money but it will obviously help with the

traffic problems at the stadium. It should have been part of the

Patriot Place project when parking lots were built on the other

side of route 1.

 

[muzz]

It all comes down to what is the "bang for the buck".

If that $9 million bridge helps alleviate the traffic congestion problem, brings major biotech companies to the site and increases foot traffic access to Patriot Placethereby increasing economic revenue to the state by $3 million per year versus fixing a road someplace else that increases economic benefit to the state by $1 million per year, then it's an easy call.

You're just hung up on who owns the land on the side of it. If you take the personal out of it, you may realize the cost-benefit argument better.

You also wrote: "ALOT of people were affected EVERYDAY because of this, NOT just 20x a year."

If you want to be that WILLFULLY IGNORANT of the fact that the benefit would be 365 days per year for Patriot Place, the Hotel, the Hospital and the biotechs that will be relocating there, then please respect others and keep that lie to yourself.

What LIE do you speak of?
There ARE ways to get across the street ALREADY, the only time it's REALLY an issue is when Kraft holds LARGE functions at his MegaMoneyMaker.

You mean THAT Lie?