HART, FTA mum on funding application process delay

Honolulu’s application for federal funding is behind pace on the rail authority’s own timeline, and the mayoral election may be part of the reason why. Though HART and the FTA aren’t stating reasons to media, others have come forward who say they’ve been told reasons.
According to HART’s timeline ( http://www.honolulutransit.org/media/112831/20120628-hart-submits-request-for-1-55-billion-in-federal-funding.pdf ) the full funding grant application submitted in June should have been reviewed by the FTA by the end of July, passed up to the Office of Management and Budget and White House for review for 30 days or around late August, then routed to Congress with an "intent to award" 60-day notification period, which would have meant a late-October wrap-up.
The application still in the first stage.
"When I spoke to the FTA earlier this year, I was told that the Full Funding Grant Agreement wouldn’t be signed until after the election," said Honolulu City Councilmember Ikaika Anderson.

The mayoral election that wasn’t decided at the primary and now awaits a November vote between pro-rail Kirk Caldwell and anti-rail Ben Cayetano.
"I was just told it would not be signed until after it was clear that the mayor’s election was settled," Anderson said. Asked who told him, Anderson replied: "FTA staff."
Meanwhile construction was halted after the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled a full-line archaeological survey should have been done, and a federal environmental lawsuit ruling is pending.
The mayor and HARTofficials are in Washington this week.
"So if they hear about what’s happening with the lawsuit or what’s happening with the election they’re going to have questions, and I think that’s the purpose is for those guys to go out there and explain what’s happening back here in Honolulu," said Managing Director Doug Chin. "I think the key thing is just talking about the Full Funding Grant Agreement."

Neither the FTA nor HART has said specifically what has to happen for the funding application to move up to OMB and onto Congress. HART told KHON2 its June 2012 financial plan submitted with the FFGA application — before the August 2012 Supreme Court ruling — still stands.
That’s not enough detail for the Honolulu City Council, which grilled the HART chief financial officer about change orders and contingency fund status as Wednesday’s Budget Committee hearing.

"HART needs to tell the council exactly what they are permitted to continue doing, according to the lawsuit, what type of work can they do and how much this work is going to cost us," Anderson said.

According to the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp., representing the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case, the list of allowable tasks during the construction halt is not yet finalized. Contractor Kiewit has laid of 30 staff, but change orders related to the remaining staff and project on hold are not yet known.

"If we sit idle for the next few months there are going to be some financial costs incurred because of these delays," Anderson said. "What worries me is when we have taxpayers calling our offices asking us what’s going on, we don’t have answers. I’m quite alarmed HART can’t at least tell us what they’re anticipating these costs to be. We need to have it in writing, we need to have it spelled out so that we can show the public what these costs are."

In addition to citing the timeline that led to a late-October end of Congress’ review of the "intent to award," the original press release ( http://www.honolulutransit.org/media/112831/20120628-hart-submits-request-for-1-55-billion-in-federal-funding.pdf ) about the FFGA application said "The completed agreement is expected to be finalized later this year." Minutes from the HART board’s June 28th meeting ( http://www.honolulutransit.org/media/115113/20120628-finance-minutes.pdf ) said "The FFGA is expected to be awarded in November."
HART and the FTA now say year-end is the target for funding approval.

HART CEO Dan Grabasukas said from Washington: "All indications from the FTA are positive and, as we have always said, we remain on track to receive our full funding grant agreement by the end of the year."
FTA spokesman Brian Farber said: "The Federal Transit Administration had a productive meeting with Honolulu officials. We look forward to signing a full-funding grant agreement to construct the Honolulu High Capacity Transit Corridor Project by the end of the calendar year, barring any unforeseen complications."
HART says it will provide a status report tomorrow evening from Washington about the FTA meetings.