And he won't be combining that issue with Legacy Highway in a possible special legislative session next month.
In his monthly KUED news conference Thursday, Huntsman said he did his part to help eliminate trains from Union Pacific's 900 South railroad line by lobbying U.P. Chairman Richard Davidson to give more than the $4.5 million it already pledged toward the $40 million to $50 million project.
"They are willing to up the ante by several million dollars," Huntsman said after the news conference, without detailing how much more.
"This now becomes a city issue," he told reporters earlier, "and one that shouldn't necessarily be confused as a state issue."
To eliminate freight trains from 900 South - which have bedeviled residents with their noise and vibrations - a separate line downtown must be realigned. That line is called Grant Tower - a curve that slows freight trains. Once it's straightened, the 900 South line won't be necessary.
According to its agreement with U.P., Salt Lake City has until September 2007 to come up with the money for Grant Tower. The city will bring money to the table - probably at least $12 million. It also has $5 million from the federal government, $5 million to $12 million from Utah Transit Authority and an unknown amount from U.P. Apparently, all that's left to raise is $3 million to $4 million - an amount some hoped to gain from the state.
Democrats in the Legislature wanted to tie Grant Tower funding to the Legacy Highway settlement accord. The Legacy deal - which would end a lawsuit and pave the way for the Davis County road to be built - needs Democratic support to pass. House Democrats have expressed opposition to it, but might be more amenable if Grant Tower gets fixed in the process.
But Huntsman said the Legacy agreement "ought to stand on its own without any tie to any other issues."
After the news conference, House Minority Leader Ralph Becker, who has considered running for Salt Lake City mayor, said he will continue discussing Grant Tower funding options with the governor's office - even if it won't be on the special session agenda. "There's some other options out there that are under discussion."
West-side activist Michael Clara said Huntsman's lack of state support "better not" kill the Grant Tower deal. He knows where the city could get the money: from the $4.5 million set aside to build the Sorenson Unity Center in the Glendale area. He said he has talked to his neighbors about lobbying the Alliance for Unity - which raised the center funds - to divert the money to Grant Tower.
"We should be using that money for the train. That [center] was never something we asked for. A lot of us feel it was just a paternalistic decision that was made by the mayor. We need $5 million now to make our community whole," Clara said.
The city is going back to the alliance to ask it for more money for the community center - itself an outgrowth of the Main Street Plaza deal with the LDS Church.
Huntsman hopeful
about Legacy
The governor says he remains hopeful - but is making no guarantees - about the Legislature approving the proposed deal to allow construction of the Legacy Highway in Davis County.
"I think we're in good shape. I suspect that in the next day or two that we're going to have something to report, either good or bad," Huntsman said Thursday.
He called the settlement "complicated, there are a lot of moving parts." But he said he is "optimistic that we'll find a resolution, and we'll likely find it fairly soon."
