Today, Senators Coburn and McCain released a 74-page publication “Summertime Blues: 100 Stimulus Projects that Give Taxpayers the Blues.” (Link to PDF file)

According to them, the 5th-worst stimulus project in the whole country is an "Abandoned Train Station Converted Into Museum (Glassboro, NJ) - $1.2 million". The project is described on page 10 of the publication linked to above.

Can anyone provide more information about the actual Glassboro, NJ museum project?

The Rouses Point (New York) train station also made the list (page 35).

Ouch... lot's of wated money on that list.

/Mitch

Yes, but that $762,372 computerized dance choreography software project might someday have additional applications, like computerized renderings of the rod motion of steam locomotives.

Oops, some people already did those, and for a lot less than $762,372.

Remember the Monty Python segment with the Ministry of Silly Walks, where people were auditioning absurd ways of walking to try to qualify for government grants? Perhaps mimes with parasols doing "interpretive dances" around locomotives might be the next new art form?

Oops, wasn't that one of the original concepts advocated for Steamtown NHS............

PC

That list reads like a screed against preservation, which is not a surprise as such projects are low hanging fruit (though almost meaningless in terms of percentage of overall gov't spend).

Neither of these Senators are friends to public transportation or preservation (at least outside their states).

Rob

So how does a museum obtain stimulus money? I know my local museum could greatly benefit from it and possibly put people to work for 6 months or more depending on the amount of money.

Actually, I could ask millions of questions on how to improve a museum but, I don't know if this is the place for it.

As a US taxpayer I would request that you do NOT ask for stimulus money. If I want to support your museum I will send in a voluntary donation. I do not support the idea of you using the Federal government to take my money by force for your museum.

I think these guys forget the point of Keynesian government stimulus. Or at least are pretending to be ignorant of it for the sake of cheap and easy political points (amongst those who never understood the point of Keynesian economic theory).

Pulled my own post. Not going to comment on the political aspects on RYPN.

Sure, I mean look at all the examples of long term prosperity generated by Keynesian economics. No, really. I'll wait.

The money given to the Borough of Glassboro was to buy the property from CSAO and fence it in. The borough is now actively soliciting funds to restore the building. It will then be used for community functions and if memory serves, it will be available to organizations for meetings. At it's heyday, the PRSL was running freight and passenger service through there on double tracks. There was another station across the tracks for the southbound trains. Just before the tracks crossed the street to enter the station, there was a switch that the rail took to run down to Millville NJ. The switch is still in and the track runs across the street through another switch and both tracks run about 1/2 mile to terminate at the street when they removed the crossing about four years ago. This rail was severed when they put Route 55 in. The exisiting track is active for freight service to Vineland. For more information, look on the PRSL thread.

Was there any mention of bridges to nowhere? I bet there wasn't.

Later!
Mr. Ed

The funding for the bridge got rescinded back around 2005, it was not built.

The $2.2 billion dollar "Southcoast Rail" project in Massachusetts, now up at almost 15 times the original $138 million price, did not qualify for any stimulus money. However a local newspaper reported that over $117 million of the taxpayers money has been spent on a half dozen studies of this project, and the design of stations.

PC

Please stay off of your political soapboxes here. This is not the place, there are many other places on the internet for that sort of stuff but only one RYPN.

Thank You All,

Tom Gears
Moderator :-)

Any idiot can make up a list and have it make any point you want it to make.
(and our government is full of self-serving idiots)

here, I can make up a list too:

"100 best stimulus projects that are a much better way to spend money than the usual ways the government spends money, and lots of people agree with this list."

1. Train Station Converted Into Museum (Glassboro, NJ) - $1.2 million".
2. Rouses Point (New York) train station

there, problem solved! ;)

no politician should ever complain about how their fellow politicians spend money..
its just the height of hypocrisy..
"glass houses" and all that..
"calling the kettle black" and all that..


Scot

And any preservationists who think that one time grants of taxpayer money are some kind of a magic elixir that is going to save them from having to come up with displays and exhibits that are attractive and interesting to the public are just kidding themselves. Without the long term support of the paying public, the museum won't survive, and its collections will be endangered.

PC