The Antelope Valley Times

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Lancaster leaders pushing for ‘all-purpose transportation hub’

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Marvin Crist
Marvin Crist

LANCASTER – Vice Mayor Marvin Crist made the following statement on behalf of Mayor R. Rex Parris and himself at the Lancaster City Council’s regular meeting March 12:

“Mayor Parris and I have been researching this issue for some time, and we believe the best way to serve our community’s transportation needs is to work hand-in-hand with the City of Palmdale. Presently, both the City of Lancaster and the City of Palmdale maintain separate Metrolink stations.

Rather than maintaining the status quo, in which Metro is forced to divvy up funds between Lancaster and Palmdale, we feel it is in the region’s best interest to devote that funding entirely to a single transportation center.

The Palmdale Transportation Center is the ideal location for this all-purpose transportation hub. A number of new projects, including the proposed California High-Speed Rail and High Desert Corridor, are rapidly changing our regional transportation landscape. Both cities have been working with the California High-Speed Rail Authority to determine the best route for the proposed train in order to minimize the negative impact and maximize the usability for our residents. Additionally, the rising cost of gas creates an ever greater demand for mass transit service.

Mayor Parris and I firmly believe that the resources and staff time of both cities, as well as those of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, would be best used to establish one first-rate transportation center, rather than continuing to maintain two separate centers that are not as strong as they could be. Our residents deserve the best, and we believe partnership is the path to providing it.

We plan to work with the City of Palmdale Members Steve Hofbauer, Tom Lackey, and any appropriate staff to better analyze the region’s needs to explore the concept of consolidating the cities’ two stations into a single transportation center located in Palmdale.

Lancaster City Council has a vision for this community, as we do with our brethren in the City of Palmdale. We believe our citizens can best be served by pooling the resources of our two great cities and establishing one incredible, multi-use transportation hub. On behalf of the City of Lancaster, we look forward to working with the City of Palmdale to make this vision a reality.”

(Information via press release from the city of Lancaster.)

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Filed Under: Lancaster

58 comments for "Lancaster leaders pushing for ‘all-purpose transportation hub’"

  1. NEWS FLASH – MARVIN CRIST FIGURED OUT SUN RISES IN THE EAST. SAYS HE SUSPECTS IT WILL SET IN THE WEST!

    He must think Palmdale is stupid. Oh that’s right, he and his puppet master have said that on more than one occasion, specifically dummies, oh and the ever popular doofus. What’s next, weenie head?

    DATELINE – OBVIOUS DESK – Attention Marvin, Palmdale ALREADY has an “all-purpose transportation hub”, or did you miss it?

    Methinks the Lancaster Metrolink station is in the way of something. Ya Think?

    Nice try

    • Can we be real here? After listen to Rex pontificate on how we should be choosing our leaders based on some whacked out Chinese model where baggage carriers have PhD’s, it’s perfectly clear that there is no such standard in place in Lancaster. Rex and his trusty sidekick Marv won’t be building any rockets soon. This blatantly ingenuine offer is another in a long line of bizzare statements and policies. Will this new mega transportation hub have pipes in bird sounds and eye in the sky surveillance?

  2. Hey, just read in the AVP that San Fransico is instituting bicycle sharing for commuters.Maybe the Lanc city council would do that, commuters could bike for free from Lanc to Palmdale also saving the desert environment from those nasty gas fumes.
    Then, since less gas will be purchased, State equalization board can add more to the price of gas since less of it will be sold.
    How else can you say bend over and grab your ankles?

    • There’s a big city in the state just north of us that has had community bikes for years. All the unclaimed or confiscated bikes are painted yellow from handle bars, seat to tires and wheels. Those bikes are parked in the “town square” and can be used by anyone for trips around downtown. No one steals them (maybe due to the paint job)and they are easy to spot.They also have fareless square for bus service and the train is free in downtown.

      • Workss well for Portland, might work locally at certain times of the year but probably not for the long distance commuters.

  3. Parris loves to get in front of the cameras if a hot dog stand opens anywhere in Lancaster, but he leaves it to Crist to make this important announcement. How odd.

    Crist mentions working with Palmdale’s council members but no mention of Mayor Ledford. Odd too.

    You don’t suppose this is a backdoor, work-around tactic to eventually merge the 2 cities with Parris as the Grand Mayor, do ya? He’s working on ‘fixing’ the at-large city council elections in Palmdale. Will he be better able to get his ‘people’ elected to Palmdale’s council if the districts were each separately represented?

    Raise your hand if you trust Parris on anything. Anything, at all.

    The BLVD is a joke as Palmdale moves ahead as the transportation hub and shopping, dining destination and a nicer place to live with a much more responsive city government and leaders. I never hear my Palmdale neighbors and friends complain about the City or its leaders like Lancaster residents do about Parris and the rest.

    It must be low tide in Lancaster to explain that fishy smell coming from there regarding this ‘hub’ idea.

    We’ll be sure to stayed tuned for more such odd statements.

  4. RATHER THEN FOCUSING ON TRANSPORTATION BS, FOCUS ON THE CRIME WE HAVE AROUND HERE!!! THREE STRIKES AN YOU OUT OF AV!!!

    • Now that Steve Fox has been elected, the State Democratic Party will be paying a lot more attention to the 36th District. The days of the Republicans throwing anybody forward are over. I know Rex, Frank and Company really like to do background checks for dirt on candidates. Well…..guess what? The Democrats know all about background checks too, and they’ve got the money to pay for them. The game is suddenly looking a lot more equal in the AV.

  6. the residents of Lancaster would be pissed, the reason being there is ALOT and i mean ALOT of wheelchair passengers that have to get off Metrolink and hop on route 11 going into west or east Lancaster, if you move it into Palmdale the route 1 or whatever route that goes there would be clogged with wheelchair and seniors, not a good idea!

  7. Lancaster is a major population center. Palmdale is a major population center. Vincent Hill is……not a major population center. Why don’t we eliminate that station and speed things up tremendously?

    Bottom line, the powers that be in Lancaster have a project they want to put in at the current Metrolink station and they don’t like all of the folks that are congregating there, so they couch it like it’s some sort of grand scheme to improve transportation. Not only that, it gives Rex another opportunity to slam Palmdale and say that they won’t work together.

    • Your comment sent me digging until I found the story on this website from last year talking about Lancaster wanting to “revitalize” the metrolink area and calling it the southeast transit village. They had a grant to hire outside consultants and they were looking for citizen input. Perhaps the consultants told them to scrap the metrolink station because it’s any eyesore? Who knows? Time will tell.

      http://www.www.theavtimes.com/2012/07/13/community-input-needed-at-upcoming-workshop/

        • Ever notice how when Lancaster hires a consulting firm it’s an outside company with many unrelated projects on their books from all over, but Palmdale always seems to use internal consultants like Kim Shaw and Jim Ledford.
          E.G.
          Lancaster hires http://www.sargenttownplanning.com
          Palmdale hires Kim Shaw for Airport Consulting, and she is on the board at SOAR. No one at Sargent Town Planning in any capacity works for the city of Lancaster.
          ..SMH..

          • @John Howard, Palmdale, like most cities, uses consultants in a wide range of expertise for a wide range of projects. Consultants for engineering projects will be different than consulting for aerospace projects, the power plant, legislation, financials, etc. most consultants come from the “outside ” and some consultants have done consulting work for a time. There are even local consultants that work for cities. I know Steve Buffalo, an outstanding events planner, does consulting work for Lancaster. He’s “local” but has great expertise in event planning and really does great work.

          • Ever notice when there’s some big project in Lancaster that involves public money the usual suspects are involved? Let’s see. When the city spent about 10 million to pipe Amargosa Creek, who owned the property? Jimmy Gilley and Frank Visco! What a surprise! When the Walmart deal went down in Quartz Hill, who do you think was the broker who made a cool $300K on the deal? Why it was Planning Commissioner Jimmy Vose! What a shocker! When the old McMahon’s building in the old redevelopment zone sold, who do you think cashed in on that deal? Why it was Mayor Rex Parris! Yeah, it was totally illegal, but who’s watching and who cares? No one! Party on! When the no-bid deal went out for the Eye in the Sky spy plan, who do you think was at the government teet to suck up all he could? Why it was good old Frankie Visco! In one his only honest statement made since becoming a city councilman, Marvie Crist said that Frankie was no longer behind the curtain! Welcome to the like Frank! When the land was sold for the new fairgrounds, who do you think was the winner?
            When the city launched it’s new Ecolution project, who do you think was put in charge? Someone with recycling experience? Hell no! It’s the good ole boys taking the reins! Recycle Ho! When the auto mall gets a facelift that we pay for, who do you think is the beneficiary? Why it’s good ole Ricky Clutter, Rex’s pal! Good to be friends with the King, eh? But there’s more! The new $2 million project that the taxpayer is funding for the Morton Manufacturing building is going to Frankie Visco’s place! What a coincidence! Frankie always seems to be at the right place at the right time! It’s good to be in Lancaster. Really, it’s good. If you’re connected.

          • @Antelope Valley Truth Sayer. Boy, you put all the ‘deals’ together very well. Separately, they don’t draw as much attention, but together, you have one corrupt city.

            Funny how Paris likes to talk ‘community’ but at the same time, the lack of participation by most of the community is what allows Parris and his buddies to do whatever they like unimpeded. If Lancaster actually got organized and voters got involved, he’d be history.

            I suppose they think that ‘what’s good for Parris and his buddies is good for Lancaster’. It’s a conservative thing. Their deals, which are very good for themselves, will certainly ‘trickle down’ benefits to the residents of Lancaster …………..or not.

            Lancaster had planned to build a power plant 7-8 years ago, a mall across from the park, and whatever happened to that Chinese company that was going to build cars in Lancaster. I guess Parris thinks he can ‘sue’ his way to a prosperous city.

  8. You know that if Lancaster is pushing it, and they’re suddenly calling the folks in Palmdale, “brethren,” you know it’s not going to be good for Palmdale. I would love to see Rex stand up in public and call Jim Ledford his “brother.”

    First he sues him, now he’s his brother. You see Rex, there is a downside to Palmdale bashing. When you need something from them, it’s really hard to get it from someone you slam in public. Grandma was right. Manners are important.

    • Let’s not forget Marvin ‘THE RAT” Crist sat next to Mayor Parris as a advisor during the deposition. These two are peas in a pod just like Ron “no chin” Smith used to be until he became a loser, now the RAT fills his shoes. What a pair.

      • And their brazenness is quite astounding. I guess you could call that ‘transparency’ of a sort. I mean, everyone can see through them.

      • How dare you call Marvin a rat! Rats serve useful purposes in our world as pets, in Laboratories, and in some cultures as food. In their natural habitat they do not force their noses in the hind quarters of other rats and have shown no propensity to lying in thousands of laboratory experiments .

        • Funny how Parris attracts the ‘best and brightest’ around him, eh, Ron?

          What do you suppose they say behind closed doors if the stuff they say in public is, how you say, bull****?

          • If Rex and his crew are the “best and brightest” then I am Albert Freaking Einstein.

  9. Why would anyone get up earlier, drive to the Lancaster Station to get on a bus to go to Palmdale to get on a train????? Sounds like there will be more cars on Sierra Highway and 10th Street West every morning and afternoon. Welcome to gridlock on those two roadways. By the way, if the Metrolink trains stops in Palmdale and spends the night there, does the crossing arms stay down all night long across Sierra Highway?

    • Whether or not people choose to take the the bus I proposed from Lancaster to Palmdale is up to them. If it were me, I’d just drive to the Palmdale station from Lancaster.

      My idea for the bus to Lancaster BLVD and the South East Village from the Palmdale station has more to do with supporting the traffic coming from the High Speed Rail and the Desert XPress train.

      Lancaster would be wise to enable those who are traveling via HSR to take a quick detour to The BLVD for dinner and shopping. OR, for those people who want to live near The BLVD as it becomes more of a destination, the bus route will provide a car-free way to get the HSR station, and commute to LA for work/entertainment.

      • Your comment shows a lack of reality of the world of the everyday commuter.People up here who work in the Valley or L.A. spend a long day away from home, they want to get from point A to point B the fastest, most expedient way possible, not getting off and on buses and spending time on Lancaster Blvd.
        This sucks.

  10. This makes sense on a number of levels, many of which were mentioned by Marvin Crist.

    High Speed Rail is coming to Palmdale.

    The High Speed Rail to Vegas is coming to Palmdale.

    Create a single, well-designed hub in Palmdale, then link that station with the BLVD area in Lancaster, and the upcoming South East Transit Village with a dedicated Bus route back and forth, that will run up Sierra Highway, down Lancaster Blvd and back to Palmdale.

    Even before the high speed rail, and MOST DEFINITELY after it is built, we will see a massive population growth here in the Valley, in addition to a significant number of jobs relocating to the Valley.

    High Speed Rail is a game-changer.

    I’m happy to see Mayor Parris and his staff thinking ahead.

    • I have gotten up and have spoken repeatedly that we need an efficient schuttle bus system in the AV to replace the large mostly empty AVTA buses on our streets. The one hour waits are not conducive to readership. Apparently, the Mayor Parris and Vice Mayor Crist think our money will be best spent on Metrolink. I believe they are wrong.

    • What about the Lancaster residents who commute via Metrolink? They need a stop too. What about people who rely on Metrolink for transportation? They deserve to have a stop closer to where they live. Santa Clarita has 3 Metrolink stops. Our valley is huge. We need at least 3.

  11. The Lancaster station is to close to “His Blvd”. That station is a dumping ground for the homeless and those released from the LA jail. It sounds like he wants Palmdale to be the only dumping ground for the valley and hopefully they wont make it back to His precious Blvd.

    • I’m all for cleaning up Lancaster but a dumping ground in Palmdale is not too far away. Send them off to Victimville or Barstow!

  12. Everyone, wait for the other shoe to drop…..there HAS to be an ulterior motive. We just don’t know what it is yet.

    • Our leaders told us Palmdale has a Culture of Corruption. Our leaders told us Palmdale is run by crooks. Our leaders told us Palmdale was going to kill us with their power plant. Our leaders told us Palmdale made Rex put the Walmart next to Quartz Hill. Our leaders told us that their mayor was a doofus. Our leaders told us that suing Palmdale had no downside. Our leaders led us to believe Palmdale was evil. Now we are giving them our money for our transportation center? What about us? I am confused.

    • Oh, let me guess, Gladys. Parris and his buddies probably have bought up property around the Palmdale Transit Station. Or, maybe something just as shady.

      • If I had cash to spare, I’d be buying land around the Palmdale Transit Station as well. In the time leading up to the opening of the HSR station, and most definitely after the station is operational, the land within .5-1.0 miles of the station will go up in value TREMENDOUSLY.

        • There’ll be millions, literally MILLIONS of dollars to be had if there is a Palmdale transit hub! Money will fall from the sky! We’ll all be drinking that free Bubble Up and eating that Rainbow Stew! Crime will be eliminated! Thus spake Rex!

  13. This is very concerning, Palmdale needs to be very afraid.Sounds like Lancaster is tired of the “end of the line “trash and wants them in Palmdale.
    Certainly the citizens of Lancaster do not want to drive to and from Palmdale to commute…and when was the last time the word “brethren”was used by the Mayor of Lancaster in reference to Palmdale?
    Be afraid, be very, very afraid.

    • Ideally, this MTA “mega station” would be between both cities but probably technically in Palmdale between Avenues M and N.

      • Now there’s a brilliant idea. everything converges in Palmdale so let’s move it to Lancaster to make Rex happy so he can control it. brilliant.

    • Pretty foxy they are ; Lancaster does not have either a library or a senior vented that they operate, they are run by the county whereas Palmdale operates its own.Now lets dump the train station on them too, more resources for Lancaster.