Historical June 1998 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
An energetic and enthusiastic group of travelers gathered at Lambert Field on Wednesday, May 27th, preparatory to the Citizens for Modern Transit tour of light rail sites in California.
In all, the Skinker DeBaliviere contingent included Ann Smith Carr, Gary Hayes, Paul Hohmann, Laure Porterfield, Dan Schesch and 28th Ward Alderman Lyda Krewson. Cameras, video cameras, sound meters and comprehensive “briefing books” were packed with the travelers’ paraphernalia.
Some had the foresight to bring umbrellas and other raingear.
We had the opportunity to visit three very different locations where light rail and related transit oriented development were in various stages of implementation.
In San Jose tremendous growth has outstripped the community’s capacity to provide convenient and affordable housing and transportation for workers, who frequently commute more than 100 miles in order to reach work sites in the booming “SiliconValley”. Professional planners and staff from the economic development agencies, transit systems and muncipalties involved were geneous with their time, expertise and data.
In Sacramento, we rode a light rail transit line that had been successfully constructed at grade through established residential areas.
We had the opportunity to meet representatives of the neighborhood group which initially opposed construction of any station in their neighborhood and which eventually lobbied to have two walk-up stations added after the viability of the project had been proved. Neighborhood representatives assured us that property values remained stable or increased with the advent of the light rail system.
For me, the most valuable lessons were learned in San Francisco, where the Third Street Light Rail extension is currently moving towards the design and implementation phase.
The outline of the community engagement and planning process that was shared with us seems to capture all the elements that we hope to see included as the Northern Route extension of our own MetroLink light rail is planned and designed to move from Skinker DeBaliviere and University City to Clayton and beyond.
Finally, we also had the opportunity to visit the Siemens plant outside Sacramento where the new cars for the St. Clair County extension are currently under construction.
These cars are so customized that they are virtually assembled by hand and put through vigorous safety checks and shake-downs throughout the process. Anticipating state-of-the-art robotics, it was startling and heartening to see these skilled craftsman at work. Though hard to quantify, the opportunity to travel with representatives from Clayton, University City, the County and several other municipalities and organizations interested in the future of MetroLink was perhaps the most significant part of this trip.
As we continue to work to advance the best interests of Skinker DeBaliviere, we hope to tap into this network to assure our success. Special thanks to Citizens for Modern Transit and the Board of Directors of the Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council, who made my participation in this event possible. Hats of to Dan Schesch and Lyda Krewson, who sent themselves to learn more about the issues at hand, and thanks to Washington University for 21/2 scholarships for Gary Hayes, Paul Hohmann, and, along with Parkview Agents’ assistance, Ann Smith Carr on an info-trip to a very wet Northern California.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, June 1998.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1998_06.pdf, printed page(s) 5; PDF page(s) 5.
