Keep a watchful eye on the UTMB construction 
Rumors are no laughing matter. They can be corrosive, they can make people anxious, instill fear and dread. They damage morale, waste time and can make us less productive. This feature is designed to address the rumors you hear making their way around the halls and water coolers of our campus. Have you heard a good one? Send it to us, and we'll track down the truth—good or bad—and post it here.
The UTMB President's Office is committed to open and honest communication. It's understandable that at a large and dynamic institution such as UTMB, there are questions and concerns, and some of these give rise to suppositions. It's crucial, though, that we each have access to good, reliable information. This is it: Your pipeline to the facts. Your submitted rumors will be carefully considered and researched.
Updated Oct. 22, 2004
RUMOR: I heard UTMB was spending millions of dollars to bring the trolley to campus. Is this a good use of our limited funds?
RATING:
RESPONSE: OCT. 22, 2004--It's true that the trolley is coming to campus, but it's not costing UTMB or the citizens of Galveston any grand sum of money. UTMB and the city were able to work together to secure funding for the expansion largely from a Federal Transit Administration grant. The local contribution to the approximately $5 million project is a match of about $240,000 that UTMB recently invested in the hospital "Main Street" project. We were permitted to apply those same "Main Street" dollars as our local match.
Like the trolley project, "Main Street"--the renovation of the hospital main corridor and entrance--was about improving access. UTMB already works with Island Transit to provide public transportation, using primarily buses and shuttles, at no cost to patients, staff and students. The expanded trolley route is part of the arrangement and the expansion will allow riders to travel to and from work, classes and clinical appointments.
The trolley system currently covers six miles and connects Seawall Boulevard to the Strand District and Pier 21. In December 2004, with the completion of this phase, the route will be lengthened 1.5 miles east and stop just south of Children's Hospital. It'll link UTMB with downtown-where the university has several hundred employees and where many students and staff now reside in lofts and apartment homes. Members of the campus community will be able to hop on the trolley at no cost and as a hassle-free way to get between campus and downtown for business, lunch or to shop. (The next phase of the expansion-still on the drawing board-will extend the trolley rails about 1.3 miles along Sixth Street to Stewart Beach and Seawall Boulevard.)
The grant includes money for construction of trolley shelters, benches, landscaping and lighting. The project is on schedule and the last sections of tracks are going in now. Repaving the roads with new asphalt will come next, and then the first rides late this year or early in 2005. It's a good partnership with the city and federal agencies. We're confident that once complete, it'll be a project people use, enjoy and appreciate. By all measures, it's a good deal. For more information, visit the construction update web site.
Guidelines for Rumors and Trumors