I’m a supporter of using rail as a transportation resource to bridge markets and create jobs. And recently, I’ve heard of a project that is doing exactly this.

It’s called RailEx. And this is a dedicated train that is running from Wallula, Washington to Rotterdam, New York. There is a second train that runs from Delano, California also to Rotterdam. The trains take about five days to arrive at Rotterdam and are loaded with fresh vegetables like lettuce, broccoli, celery, carrots and in addition the trains are also carrying wine. The RailEx train is in a cold chain meaning that the product carried is maintained at a certain temperature. When I first heard of the RailEx project I was skeptical believing that this had already been tried before, and unsuccessfully.

It has been done before the difference here is that before the railroads would try and deliver the produce laden trains directly to major metropolitan centers on the east coast i.e., New York and Boston which involve further costs and rail congestion unlike Rotterdam, NY which is close enough but still far enough away to not have these logistical issues. My sense is that recent technological improvements to train operations, computers and refrigeration are also components that will make this project successful and in the end bring fresh food and wine to New Hampshire and Northeast consumers while at the same time opening up new markets for producers in the western part of the United States.

I can hear it now. NH politicans will have plenty of wine and grapes to eat. Just like Rome!

Rotterdam, New York is a good location to serve Northeast markets but I’m just wondering if a location in places like Portsmouth, NH, Portland, Maine or White River Junction, Vermont might be even closer to the markets that are being served. RailEx has made a multimillion dollar investment in the Rotterdam, NY facility so this is done but perhaps as the rail service gets more established there might be satellite or similar operations up here in New England. But I’m not going to waste much time asking state agencies like DRED to try and advance an idea like this in the name of needed economic development and jobs. I mean no disrespect but I think Commissioner George Bald has done absolutely nothing for this state. Yet he gets renominated!   

This is a video I found on UTUBE about the RailEx service. And I’ll state my bias upfront I think the Price Chopper Supermarkets are better than the competition throughout New Hampshire such as Shaw’s, Hannaford, Deomoulas, etc.  And I think with RailEx they’ll be even better!

Source: Iowa Public Television.

In a post below a person named Leigh McNeil decries how bad things here are in New Hampshire and why the tax on LLC Corporations is bad policy. McNeil doesn’t offer much of an insight as to what areas in New Hampshire are being described as “boarded up windows and for lease signs.”

I don’t think it’s anywhere as bad as what's being described in this post.

I’m from northern New Hampshire and I had a front row seat to the decline and fall of the paper industry in Coos County this was and is closely followed by what remained of the machine tool industry including a bankruptcy filing last week by Gorham based Steel Elements Inc. which is in the steel fabrication business. Thousands of jobs have been lost.

In his post Mr. McNeil blames government he doesn’t like the LLC tax and he cites the cyclical consumer based automotive business as an example of what is wrong with New Hampshire. Instead of blaming state government and policymakers, I think Mr. McNeil should have taken the time to consider what is going right and how this will lead to the future of New Hampshire. One example of this is tourism. Even with the downturn economy I think when the tourism numbers come in they will be substantial. This is good where a door slams a window opens. I think New Hampshire should be doing everything it can to continue to support this industry. I’ve spent enough time on this board arguing for expanded casino gaming and what this would do for taxbase and needed revitalization including the boarded up windows and the for sale signs.

I don’t support increased taxation in any form including the LLC tax but until New Hampshire finds another revenue source these types of discussions are going to continue and at this point it I think it’s irresponsible for anyone to say that the state budget can be cut. If you believe I’m wrong please feel to describe exactly where it can be cut and how this would be done. This has nothing to do with big government or a center of power in Concord.  

It’s reality.  

Last Report from Killington…

Alright so I’m here at Moguls in Killington and I hear some of the challenges facing the resort area. Chief among these is the end of ski season and the start of the economic dry spell in this area of Vermont.

“Clearly the summer season there isn’t the tourism or the draw for the people to come here.” said an individual sitting near the bar area whose name I can’t now remember. I was tempted to ask about the succession movement to NH and if casino gaming had ever been considered to improve the variability in the seasons and namely, the revenue from the seasons. But I didn’t I was too tired and I really didn’t want to overturn an apple cart with criticism of politics and policy in Vermont. I think Vermont is doing a quality job on a number of issues, examples include rail transportation and foreign trade iniatives and much better than New Hampshire. And with the multimillion dollar condos I’ve seen on the hillsides surrounding Killington. If there are structural issues with tourism in this area of the world it certainly isn’t apparent on the surface.

Disadvantages of listening to people in bars. I learned this in the NH House especially at some of the after session events hosted by lobbyists in the bars and eateries on and around North Main Street.  I think the lobbyists in some of these situations can be best described as vipers. But this is a story for another day…

So the next morning I headed back to New Hampshire. By now its sub zero temperatures and I’m glad I got in the skiing when I did. I’m headed east on route 4 towards I-89 and Lebanon, NH I think I’m in Rockingham, Vermont or at least just before Woodstock and I spot the Long Trail Ale Beer Brewery on my right it looks like a very efficient operation and their must have been about 40 cars in the parking area around the old wood frame building; I’m thinking this is important because not only is local jobs in a local economy but its manufactured right here and not in Belgium.

Not that the Europeans make a bad beer.

Still from Killington…

One of the signs leading into Killington terms the ski area The Vail of the East. This is only the second time I’ve ever skied at Killington and before today I really never understood what this means. Well now I do.

From the skier perspective, it’s the length of the actual runs. The runs at Killington average about 3-4 miles and one is actually over five miles. Even Cannon and Wildcat which have some significant trails are the closest, I think to Killington in terms of length of the runs. So I ended up skiing most of the day on the hard packed machine surface that was at least until the massive snow squalls started descending over the region. The environment changes very rapidly, snow frozen surfaces are quickly transformed into fluffy white powder which, nice to ski in made it a little bit tougher especially in the shins right above my ski boots. But we’re continuing on. It gets to about 3:30 and the darkness begins to descend over the whole area. By now I’m basically exhausted, the snow is coming down my legs are tired the kids on snowboards are clipping by like there’s no tomorrow and now I’m having painful visions of what’s it going to be like trying to take my ski boots off.  Just then as I’m thinking that the darkness will prevail one of my friends says two words that completely transformed the whole situation from darkness to light.

Hot tub.

It’s amazing how two words can transform a whole situation. The same is true in New Hampshire politics. One of the masters of saying the right thing at the right time was former Democratic Minority Leader Rick Twombly who would often speak on the floor of the house about issues that face everyone, the people of New Hampshire. Right place at the right time and more often than not this would often provoke thought that would change the course of the debate, legislation, etc. I think some of this is needed right now as I’m watching on WMUR the Commissioner of Health & Human Service talk about cuts in programs to close the budget deficit. I don’t think the Commissioner is displaying any real emotions about what is going to happen to real NH people when these cuts are made in areas like: single parents, addiction among others. I’m confident that the results here are going to be dreadful and issues that won’t be resolved with two words. I’m actually surprised that the NH legislature is allowing the cuts at NH Health & Human Services to move forward. Maybe they need to be talking or hear some testimony from former Democratic Leader Rick Twombly. Or at least be talking to some of the people and families that are facing the cuts.

Later I emerged from an outdoor hot tub at Killington my friends and I decided to head downtown. Where there is a lot to choose from, and unlike Vail in the west it relatively affordable and this is where I would hear of some of the challenges that face Killington in this downturn economy. I ended up at the really neat sports bar called moguls. As you might imagine it has everything a sports bars has: widescreens, pool tables, etc. But on this freezing cold night they were getting ready for my favorite Texas Holdem. I’d love to say that I turned the felt on fire and raked in a few pots but that didn’t happen. By now I’m too tired to even think about suited connectors instead I settled for a charbroiled Angus Burger and some fries but I would hear about the dry season in Killington and why this is becoming more of a challenge as each year passes.

To be continued…

This is continued from last week.

So I’m over here at Killington the skiing conditions are awesome. I didn’t get a chance to ask the Vermonter in my high-speed gondola what his position was about the upcoming race for Governor in the Green Mountain state.

I have my own ideas and speculation. For starters I think the Republican nominee has more or less been decided and this Lt. Governor Brian Dubie, former Air Force F-16 Pilot and officer in the Vermont and later Massachusetts Air National Guard. Some politicos I’ve spoken to in Vermont say that Lt. Governor isn’t much more than a ceremonial position. I’m not sure if this is the case but it appears to me that Dubie has really used the office to advance some issues most namely would be some his trade missions that have produced tangible results. One of these trade missions has been to South Korea where a biotech company is announcing in the Caledonian Record newspaper plans to build a factory near Jay Peak Ski Resort which will employ over 350 people. Jay Peak is near Newport, Vermont and the Canadian border and has some of the highest unemployment rates in the state. I wish projects like this were happening over here in New Hampshire. When Dubie speaks in public I think he comes across as plain spoken which resonates well with many voters, at least it did when he ran for Lt. Governor. But this is a state that has sales, income taxes and property taxes that are commensurate with New Hampshire.

Every Vermonter I’ve spoken with says taxes are just too high in Vermont for what the state is providing.

The Democratic candidate will be a bit harder to call. The leading name I’m hearing is former Senator Doug Racine who comes from the right area of Vermont to be a Democrat, Burlington. I think there is at least one analysts report out there that says no candidate for major office in Vermont in the past 30 years has ever won without first gaining the political and financial support from sources that originate in Chittenden County. So if this is the case I think it will be interesting to see which way the pendulum will swing. I’ll give a slight advantage to Dubie in this one.

I’m thinking about this race because I think there are so many areas in which Vermont and New Hampshire could be working together on issues that face both states in issues that range from education to transportation systems. I’ve been attending meetings of the Vermont Rail Council which meets quarterly in Montpelier. The Vermont Rail Council was created about seven years ago via an executive order and as such the council which is comprised of appointed members serves as a major policy arm of both the Governor and the Vermont Agency of Transportation. And right now the big news in Vermont is the federal grant for $50 million dollars to upgrade the trackage of the New England Central Railroad (NECR) which is the major north-south rail artery through Vermont.

And a project that will indirectly affect New Hampshire.  

So I’m over here in Killington riding the gondola to the top. I’m wanting to ask the condo owning skier about what will happen in Vermont once Governor Jim Douglas leaves office at the end of his term. There is a lot of speculation out there about what will happen and I think the politicos and strategists in Chittenden county would like to sink their political teeth into this one.

But I never get a chance to ask the gondola is nearing the end of the line and I sense the excitement in the air about the downhill run we all face. My attention at this point is not so much on the run itself but the performance of my feet. About a month ago I went to the ski shop to have my skis tuned at the time I overheard some advice to increase the performance of ski boots, at Killington I decided to try it. Specifically, this involves taking rolling masking tape about 4-5 times around the upper inserts of the boots near where the shin is. I’ve been told that when the boots are tightened up this forces the heel of foot deeper into the boot which allows for greater comfort and leverage for the rest of the foot and the ankle to carve turns and enjoy skiing.

I can tell you this this really works. I’ve never felt so comfortable in boots ad other than catching edges on ice felt absolutely no tension whosoever in the turns, and this would become important as the day wore on, especially as some massive snow squalls descended on the entire area…

But I’ll talk about this more later on…

As I’m writing this Gorham, NH Fraser Papers is announcing a one week furlough of its papermakers at this historic mill. My predictions are falling into place like the snow squall that would descend over Killington a squall of darkness has descended over northern New Hampshire. I’ve predicted it before and I’m now saying it again that this isn’t going to end well for Gorham or the 240 papermakers.

To Be Continued…

Please notice that I’m saying chairlift conversation instead of cocktail conversation maybe when I’m done posting this it will all be the same.

I’m over here in Killington Ski Area in Killington, Vermont. This is only the second time I’ve ever skied here so it’s new and it’s a challenge. I think the right title for the thread should be gondola conversation as that’s where most of the conversations occurred but it’s all politics and as I’ve heard said, “its all good.” So myself and a couple of my friends are riding up the high-speed gondola to start the five mile run to the bottom, its an overcast day but the temperature is good and the conditions are awesome. It’s a light powder that has been machine groomed making for some good carving and fast runs. We’re discussing cars as small talk we all drive Subaru’s and we’re talking about various aspects of how well these vehicles do in the New England winter climate, an older grey haired gentlemen is with us he joins in the conversation and says that he owns a Honda and explains how well the Honda does.

The high-speed gondola continues on quickly thumping past a tower and by now we have a view of the surrounding mountains and snow glazed trees the conversation turns to where we’re all from I answer New Hampshire and the gentlemen says that he lives in Killington full time as he has a condo here. They have some nice condos here but my mind quickly moves to a question which I asked to the Honda driving condo owner. “Did the secessionist movement ever gain any traction?” I say assuming this individual knows what I’m talking about. Killington had actually entertained leaving Vermont and joining New Hampshire. And I got the response, “It’s a good idea but Vermont politicians are god’s gift to society.” he says. Then after a quick split second pause he says “Especially Howard Dean.” This is interesting I’m thinking, Killington collects both a general sales tax and a local sales tax so I can’t imagine any politician in Montpelier wanting to give this up at least not willingly. By now we’re at the mid-mountain loading area and the gondola makes an incremental slow down, a Bob Marley look alike is standing on the platform holding a Burton snowboard but strangely he doesn’t make an attempt to get on. I’m thinking he’s a Buffalo soldier. A real rasta man.

So now we’re moving again to the upper reaches of Killington my friends are studying the pocket maps of Killington which is updated daily with the black lines on the maps showing which trails are open. The sun is now making a feeble attempt to emerge from the clouds but it doesn’t happen. I'm not meteroligist but it seems to me that cirrus clouds are drifting though the sky at about 15 miles per hour.

To Be Continued… probably tomorrow.

When I first heard this I really didn’t believe it.

But then as thought about it quickly decided that it makes sense. And this sense is an experienced businessman that is running for Governor of Maine. I think his ads one of which is below demonstrate that there is substance to this campaign.

As a skier I can state with experience that Sunday River ski area in Newry, Maine is a great ski area and that Sunday River has and never seems to forget customer service in its operations. What sticks out in my mind is how attentive Sunday River is to details such as giving out free boot carriers and placing enough racks to put skis on and at good locations. This is above and beyond what other ski areas in New England do. I’m not going to start a discussion about customer service at Cannon Mountain; I think under state direction it’s on par to going to getting a New Hampshire drivers license renewed. Isn’t this a fun experience you look forward to?  

I’ve only met Mr. Otten on one occasion and I found leadership. It was at a ski area information session at Bretton Woods ski area which featured various executives and officials from DRED including then Commissioner, Steve Rice. The forum was about some of the challenges ski areas face in their capital intensive operations against the cyclical and at times volatile consumer tourism markets, not to mention the weather!  Think Snow.

In any case Commissioner Rice got up and bleated fluff  about all that New Hampshire does. And I remember Mr. Otten calmly and professionally cutting through the fluff with a surgeon’s knife as he said “Get off our back. Just leave us alone.” Later I would hear that New Hampshire was leaning on the ski areas to increase their insurance coverages for certain types of liability; and this was eating into an already thin profit margin which was then between 6-7%. I’ll never forget the expression on the DRED commissioner’s face after hearing this, a rat’s face that said: “Somebody tell me what to do.”

I think Les Otten would be a good choice for Governor of Maine.

Source: UTUBE.

Two announcements have been made in the past two days that show how New Hampshire is lacking as nearby states move ahead.

The first announcement was from Maine where officials including the congressional delegation announced the extension and funding for the expansion of the Amtrak Downeaster from Portland, Maine up to Brunswick. This project has been in the proposal stage for some time it’s expected to create about 200 new jobs at least initially, I think this number will be higher once the full weight of the project and revitalization comes to bear.

The second announcement is from Vermont where Congressman Peter Welsh announced a $50 million dollar grant to be used to upgrade the trackage of the Amtrak Vermonter that runs from St. Albans down through White River Junction to Brattleboro and eventually Springfield, Mass and Washington, D.C.

Both of these rail projects are going to be positive for transportation and creating jobs. The Portland project is going to be interesting because the train is going to be routed north of Portland though a place called Woodford Corners, an area that isn’t blight or section 8 housing but an area of Portland that needs something. The Vermont project has been needed for some time the tracks are owned by freight carrier New England Central Railroad and their upgrade will enable this freight carrier to offer better and more competitive service to their customers which will create jobs.

Other than press releases what is New Hampshire doing? I’m thinking of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and his statements right after Katrina “We don’t need any more god dam press releases, we need some help down here.”

No more god dam press releases.  

The state Supreme Court has issued its ruling about New Hampshire using medical malpractice funds to balance the books.

No.

So what happens next New Hampshire?  

I think it would be most good if the Republican candidate for State Senate District 16 would answer a question like this. The Mayor of Manchester has now endorsed his candidacy. I’d have to hand it to Rep. Boutin where he’s lacking in substance he certainly makes up for in his door pounding skills.

What a campaigner!