FRESNO (KMJ) — It was originally billed as an opportunity for Fresno High School students to learn more about High Speed Rail. But the reaction outside the school grounds has turned it into something else, and the anti-HSR lobby is up in arms about it.
Fresno Co. Supervisor Henry Perea, Gladys Guzman with the High Speed Rail authority, and Jessica Auck with construction management firm Parsons Brinckerhoff all answered questions submitted by the students, but despite efforts to include representation from both sides there was a clear pro-High Speed Rail feeling.
“The students had some very specific questions”, says Fresno County Supervisor Henry Perea, “and they wanted answers.”
“We weren’t here today trying to sell High Speed Rail, the purpose today was lets answer your questions about the system itself,” Perea told KMJ News.
But there were allegations that little effort was made to represent both sides, with Fresno City Councilmember Steve Brandau declaring that he hadn’t been invited. Fellow Councilman, Clint Olivier, who was also in the KMJ studios on Monday sounded exasperated and called the event nothing more than a politically-motivated “brainwashing”. Both Olivier and Brandau have stood staunchly against the bullet train for years.
“Henry knows well that we could have a debate. And consenting to not allowing the opposition to come in and still say here’s what’s going to happen and here’s how wonderful it’s going to be. I’m disappointed,” Brandau told KMJ.
After a request from KMJ, Fresno Unified themselves did offer a statement, explaining that “the officials who would have provided an alternate point of view declined to attend, as they did not want to create controversy and disrupt the learning environment at Fresno High School. The questions developed for this forum were created by Fresno High School students based on research they conducted during the course of the academic quarter.”
The official groundbreaking in Downtown Fresno took place earlier this year and actual construction work on High Speed Rail is expected to take place this summer, despite serious concerns about funding the $68 billion dollar project.
