Welcome to Friends of Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) A citizens' group dedicated to realizing the benefits of rail service in the North Bay You are welcome at our monthly business meeting -- These precede the SMART Board meetings on the third Wednesday of each month          ---- Call 707/578-9133 for further information --- The fall Passenger Rail Forum in San Rafael was the eleventh in a series of forums co-sponsored by Friends of SMART and the League of Women Voters.  It was an opportunity to critique three research reports drafted by Friends of SMART members on issues that proved to be of interest in the 2006 SMART ballot measure:      Alternative Uses of the Smart Right of Way      Reduced Emissions Due to Clean Diesel            Technology Review of eight different suggestions for use of the NWP property Comparison of railcar emissions with auto, bus, locomotive Chart showing comparative emissions      Potential use of Biodiesel by SMART Data tables showing emissions, energy consumption, etc. Experience in use of Biodiesel in rail, trucking, maritime environments   Link to the Official SMART web-site:  http://www.sonomamarintrain.org/ Link to the SMART Campaign web-site:  http://www.smarttrain2008.org/     For more information, call Friends of SMART 707/576-6632 Environmental, Fiscal & Railroad Property Developments Friends of SMART closely follow the environmental, fiscal, and property issues that underlie the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit Project. The November 2006 election saw a majority of voters in both Marin and Sonoma counties supporting the SMART Project, but the vote fell just short of the required 2/3 supermajority necesssary to enact the quarter-cent sales tax.  Last year the SMART Board reviewed recommendations from an ad hoc committee that considered all aspects of planning for the rail and trail project along with the concerns of critics.  The staff is now overseeing preparation of a supplemental environmental impact report to address cumulative effects of freight and passenger service and related issues so that revised plans may be presented to voters as the basis for a successful ballot measure in 2008.  The slowing real estate market has affected development of the SMART property in Santa Rosa.  Negotiations between the city of Santa Rosa and selected developer, Creative Housing Associates, are probing the fiscal and conceptual aspects of the project.  At the same time, the City has drafted a Station Area Plan to optimize the use of properties within easy walking distance of the train station.  Hearings are under way on the environmental impact report as well as the plan itself.