‘Press Releases’ Category

Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT) – the region’s transit advocacy organization – has named Elizabeth DeBold Austin, of Clayco Enterprise; Patrick Judge, of Gonzalez Companies; and Rose Windmiller, of Stellar Strategists, as the newest members of its Board of Directors. All three were elected during CMT’s 40th Annual Meeting, held Sept. 13 at the Marriot Grand Hotel in downtown St. Louis, and will each serve a three-year term.

DeBold Austin is the Economic Development Lead at Lamar Johnson Collaborative, a subsidiary of Clayco Enterprise, where she works closely with the executive team and collaborates throughout the organization to promote the comprehensive suite of services offered by the company. Her background also includes roles at EDA Consulting, Green Street Real Estate Ventures, Colliers Turley Martin Tucker, KPMG’s State and Local Tax Practice and the City of Hazelwood.

Judge is the Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at Gonzalez Companies, where he provides strategic vision and leadership, aligning corporate objectives with local operations. He joined the company in 2005 and, over his nearly 20year tenure, has led the impressive transformation of a small, two-person construction company into a highly respected professional engineering and construction management services firm with over 150 employees serving more than 100 clients in 6 office locations and 15 states. Before joining- Gonzalez Companies, Judge served as the Deputy Project Director for the St. Clair County MetroLink Extension and Deputy Construction Manager of Facilities for the Cross County MetroLink Extension.

Windmiller is a Partner at governmental relations consulting firm Stellar Strategists, LLC, and a trusted advisor to leaders in the public and nonprofit sectors. She previously served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Government & Community Relations at Washington University in St. Louis and as Interim Vice Chancellor for the office in 2022-2023, where she was responsible for the university’s public policy agenda at the state level and leadership of the university’s college readiness initiatives.

During the annual meeting, CMT also extended the board appointment of Ryan Arnold, of Ameren Missouri; Cantina Howard, of ATU Local 788; and Joel Fuoss, of Trivers. Each will serve an additional three-year term. CMT also appointed the following officers: Chair – D’Andre Braddix, of St. Louis Community College; Vice Chairs – Robert Blaine, of Washington University; Nancy E. Cross, of the City of St. Louis; and Sheila Holm, of AARP in St. Louis; Secretary – Ellie Glenn Harmon, of BJC HealthCare;

Treasurer – Brandon Flinn, of Missouri and Kansas Laborers District Council; Past Chair – Hart Nelson, of St. Louis Community College; and At-Large – Adella Jones, of the University of Missouri-St. Louis; and Charlie Hinderliter, of St. Louis Realtors.
“CMT is extremely grateful to get to work with each of these individuals,” said Kim Cella, executive director of Citizens for Modern Transit. “Their collective experience, coupled with their diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, will go a long way towards furthering our mission.”
For more information about Citizens for Modern Transit, visit www.cmt-stl.org.
Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT) is the region’s transit advocacy organization. It was established in 1985 to help bring light rail to St. Louis and works to develop, support and enhance programming and initiatives to ensure safe, convenient and affordable access to the region’s integrated public transportation system. CMT champions, challenges, encourages and advocates for public transit in an effort to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life in the St. Louis region. To learn more, visit www.cmt-stl.org.

# # #

For more information, contact:
Kelly Harris
(314)436-9090
kelly@hausergrouppr.com

The Missouri Public Transit Association (MPTA) recognized two Springfield transit operators at the 2024 Missouri Transit Conference, held in St. Louis the first week of September. They, along with 23 other Missouri transit operators, were each presented with a 2024 Missouri Transit Operator Champion Award for going beyond the call of duty to serve their respective communities and care for their riders. The recognition comes at a time when the state continues to work toward bouncing back from nationwide transit operator shortages.

“Transit operators are the backbone of public transit systems, working tirelessly to provide vital service in every county in the state,” commented Kimberly Cella, executive director of the MTPA. “Their efforts often go unnoticed by those outside of their local communities, and these awards are a way to recognize their dedication and willingness to go the extra mile.”

The transit operators recognized in Springfield were nominated by their employer City Utilities of Springfield and include the following:

Stephen Duff is a City Utilities of Springfield paratransit operators. He was recognized for his reliability, compassion and professionalism. Several months ago, when City Utilities Transit responded to a housing facility in conjunction with the Springfield Fire Department, Duff helped provide transportation during this stressful situation. He was able to assist residents with compassion and professionalism.

Loretta Law is a City Utilities of Springfield operator. She was recognized for noticing how the small things can make the biggest difference in someone’s day.  Back in May, she noticed a family of four at a bus stop on a route that had just ended service for the day. Law radioed to a supervisor to get the family assistance. Her awareness and customer focus made an impact on a family and a great impression for public transportation.

The MPTA helps support the state’s 32 transit providers by promoting access to public transit services and the value of personal mobility. To learn more, visit www.mopublictransit.org.

Missouri Public Transit Association (MPTA) was established in 1980 as a Missouri non-profit corporation. It was formed to provide a unified voice for public and specialized transportation providers in Missouri and to work toward elevating the status of public transit as a national priority.

# # #

For more information, contact:

Kimberly Cella

Missouri Public Transit Association

314.231.7272

kcella@mopublictransit.org

Six Missouri transit providers were recognized by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Region VII during the 2024 Missouri Transit Conference hosted by the Missouri Public Transit Association from Sept. 3-5 at the Westin St. Louis at the Ballpark. Each received an Award of Excellence for ridership increases between 2021 and 2022.

The Missouri transit providers recognized included:

· Bi-State Development (Metro Transit) in St. Louis for increasing ridership by 1.1 million among large urban public transit systems in Missouri.

· Kansas City Streetcar Authority in Kansas City for increasing ridership by 106% among large urban transit systems in Missouri.

· Kansas City Area Transportation Authority in Kansas City for increasing ridership by 1.1 million among large urban public transit systems in Missouri.

· OATS Transit in Columbia for increasing ridership by 131,000 among rural public transit systems in Missouri.

· City of Excelsior Springs Transportation in Excelsior Springs for increasing ridership by 40% among rural transit systems in Missouri.

· GO COMO – City of Columbia Public Transit in Columbia for increasing ridership by 104% among small urban transit systems.

To learn more about the Missouri Public Transit Association (MPTA) or its work, visit www.mopublictransit.org.

Missouri Public Transit Association (MPTA) was established in 1980 as a Missouri non-profit corporation. It was formed to provide a unified voice for public and specialized transportation providers in Missouri and to work toward elevating the status of public transit as a national priority.

# # #

To learn more, contact:

Kimberly Cella

Missouri Public Transit Association

314.231.7272

kcella@mopublictransit.org

The Missouri Public Transit Association (MPTA) – the state’s transit advocacy organization – has named Gina Thompson, a transportation coordinator with the City of Joplin, and Lukas Yanni, a senior planner at the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), as the newest members of its Board of Directors. Both were elected during MPTA’s annual meeting at the 2024 Missouri Public Transit Conference & Expo, held Sept. 3 – 5 at the Westin St. Louis at the Ballpark, and will serve a two-year term.

Thompson was recently hired by the City of Joplin as the new transportation coordinator, where she works to build on the transit department’s foundation by promoting stability and strengthening community relationships. Her background includes a decade in education, serving as an assistant principal and as a special education teacher. These roles allowed her to gain experience positively influencing area children, while serving the local community, leading team building efforts and managing budgets.

Yanni recently joined Kansas City-based MARC, as a senior planner, working in Transportation and Environment. He previously spent over two years at the Spokane Transit Authority (STA) in Spokane, Wash., working as a principal planner and department manager in Service Development, and as an associate planner in Community Development. His focus across the two roles included short and mid-range planning and on long-range planning, respectively. At STA, Yanni was credited with helping to launch the first BRT system in Eastern Washington. He also served on the steering committee for the Regional Safety Action Plan. Yanni’s prior experience includes working as a transportation planning consultant at AECOM and at Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group (Uber ATG), conducting planning work and testing autonomous vehicles.

During the annual meeting, the MPTA extended the appointment of current board members, including Cindy Baker and Terri Barr-Moore both of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, Matt Crawford with City Utilities, David Johnson with the Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance, Taulby Roach of Bi-State Development, Ed Thomas of Camden County Developmental Disability Resources, and Dorothy Yaeger of OATS Transit. Each will serve an additional two-year term.

The association also appointed the following six officers to one-year terms: President – President and Chief Executive Officer of Bi-State Development Taulby Roach; Vice President – Director of Transit at City Utilities Matt Crawford; Secretary – Vice President of Communications for the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority Cindy Baker; Treasurer – Director of Ray County Transit Janine Clampitt; Past-President – Deputy Director of Public Works and Transportation at the City of St. Joseph Chance Gallagher; and  At-Large – Executive Director of OATS Dorothy Yeager.

“We are thrilled to be able to work with each of these individuals,” said Kim Cella, executive director of the Missouri Public Transit Association. “Their collective experience, coupled with their diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, will go a long way towards furthering the organization’s mission.”

To learn more about the MPTA visit www.mopublictransit.org.

Missouri Public Transit Association (MPTA) was established in 1980 as a Missouri non-profit corporation. It was formed to provide a unified voice for public and specialized transportation providers in Missouri and to work toward elevating the status of public transit as a national priority.

# # #

For more information, contact:

Kimberly Cella

Missouri Public Transit Association

314.231.7272

kcella@mopublictransit.org

To help underscore the benefits of public transit and encourage area college students, faculty and staff to use the system more regularly, Citizens for Modern Transit, Metro Transit and St. Clair County Transit District are teaming up with five higher education institutions – each of which offer the Metro U-Pass Program – to host the “College Transit Challenge.” Taking place Friday, Sept. 20, this day-long competition will prompt those affiliated with St. Louis Community College, Saint Louis University, Southwestern Illinois College, University of Missouri–St. Louis and Washington University in St. Louis to utilize their Metro U-Pass to take transit as often as they can throughout the day. Ridership will be tracked via mobile texting. The school with the most transit trips will be awarded bragging rights and a traveling championship trophy. Challenge registration is required and can be completed at CollegeTransitChallenge.com.

All registered challenge participants will receive a campaign sticker and a “Public Transit” t-shirt with their respective school colors, while supplies last. When registering, individuals will be asked to enter their name, school affiliation and cell phone number. Citizens for Modern Transit will not share or use this information for anything other than the challenge. They will then receive a text message to confirm campaign registration. During the daylong challenge period, participants will send text messages noting how many times they rode transit, which mode was utilized and their destination.

The “College Transit Challenge” will kick off on Friday, Sept. 20, at 9 a.m. with a “Mascot Meetup” at the Cortex MetroLink Station, located at 270 Duncan Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110. Representatives of the transit organizations, along with college and university representatives and students, will share remarks on the benefits of transit access before they and mascots Archie, the Billiken, Kashmir the Snow Leopard, Louie the Triton and the Bear take MetroLink to the Stadium MetroLink Station. All kick-off attendees will then cross the street to Busch Stadium for a group photo with Fredbird. Over 100 free tickets to the home game against the Cleveland Guardians at 7:15 p.m. that night will then be distributed, courtesy of the St. Louis Cardinals.

“Public transit access – via MetroLink and MetroBus – is readily available at these five colleges and universities, offering a safe and convenient means to get to and from campus, work, doctor appointments, grocery stores, area attractions, nightlife or other destinations of interest around the area,” commented Kimberly Cella, executive director of Citizens for Modern Transit. “There are many benefits associated with taking transit, and the system is easy to use. Plus, the Metro U-Pass makes it super affordable because it provides unlimited rides on MetroBus and MetroLink during the school year for nearly 38,000 eligible students, faculty and staff.”

“Public transit is a way to participate in the life of the city, to learn its layout and connect to its people through interaction,” commented Quique Riojas, a student at Saint Louis University. “U-Passes are the best way to connect our students to transit and the city.”

Students who have not obtained a Metro U-Pass should check with their respective university or college to find out where they are distributed on campus. Additional information about the campaign, instructions on how to register and specifics regarding the Metro U-Pass Programs for the respective schools can be found at www.CollegeTransitChallenge.com.

About Citizens for Modern Transit

Citizens for Modern Transit is a nonprofit, member supported organization that leads efforts for an integrated, affordable, and convenient public transportation system with light rail expansion as the critical component that will drive economic growth to improve quality of life in the St. Louis region.

About Metro Transit

Metro Transit operates the St. Louis region’s public transportation system, which includes 24 battery electric buses and 237 clean-burning diesel buses that serve 59 MetroBus routes in eastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois. Metro also operates MetroLink light rail vehicles on 46 miles of track serving 38 stations in the two-state area, and operates Metro Call-A-Ride, a paratransit fleet of 123 vans. Metro Transit is a Bi-State Development enterprise.

About St. Clair County Transit District
Founded in 1981, St. Clair County Transit District oversees 11 MetroLink stations and 18 bus routes in St. Clair County, Ill. If commuters have questions about service, they can call (618) 628-8090 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, visit www.scctd.org.

# # #  

For more information, contact:
Kelly Harris
(314) 436-9090
kelly@hausergrouppr.com 

Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT), AARP in St. Louis, St. Clair County Transit District and Metro Transit – in partnership with the City of Fairview Heights and other partners – today unveiled the Transit Stop Transformation Project at the Fairview Heights Center, located at 9720 W Route 161 in Fairview Heights, Ill. Key representatives of the project and elected officials made formal remarks, cut the ribbon and invited those in attendance to explore the new, revitalized space. The opening comes after a months-long process of getting input from transit riders, area residents, elected officials and stakeholders through a series of design workshops, surveys and community events – and starting and completing construction.

“This is our sixth project to date – and the fourth one completed in St. Clair County,” commented Kimberly Cella, executive director of Citizens for Modern Transit, who helped spearhead the transformation. “Each has taken space individuals simply pass through in route to their next destination and turned it into a community amenity that improves safety and security, builds ridership and increases engagement around transit. There has been more than $33 million in further investment planned or completed at or near the transformed stations. These are small infrastructure projects helping to make a big difference in the respective communities.”

At the Fairview Heights Center, large grey, concrete areas between the bus bays and MetroLink entrance and nearby grass space was converted into an interactive, playful and engaging corridor, featuring a “Love Where You Live” theme. Project highlights include a large, centralized shade structure, trees and 5-foot planters, the integration of bright colors and a series of banners. Another shade structure will be added after the completion of the Secure Platform Plan by Metro Transit.

The Transit Stop Transformation Project at the Fairview Heights Transit Center was led by Citizens for Modern Transit, AARP in St. Louis, St. Clair County Transit District and Metro Transit. Civil engineering and construction firm Gonzalez Companies did the planning and design in partnership with Design Lab 443. Other contractors and vendors involved in the project included United Ink, Weiss Monument Works and Lake Contracting. This project was funded by the St. Clair County Transit District, Citizens for Modern Transit’s Placemaking Pilot Funds Program, AARP in St. Louis and City of Fairview Heights. Construction commenced in summer 2024 and was completed in August 2024.

“Creating spaces that provide comfortability and the opportunity to connect with others, all while delivering a sense of pride for people of all ages locally and regionally, continues to be the foundation by which this project and all the other transformations are built,” commented Sheila Holm, community outreach director for AARP in St. Louis. “AARP is truly honored to partner with organizations like Citizens for Modern Transit to bring changes we are confident will enhance the transit experience for all.”

The Fairview Heights Transit Center “Transit Stop Transformation Project” is the sixth of its kind in the St. Louis region. Transformations have also been completed at the 5th & Missouri Transit Center in East St. Louis, Ill., in July 2022; North Hanley Transit Center in unincorporated St. Louis County in October 2022; the Belleville Transit Center in Belleville, Ill., in June 2022; the Emerson Park Transit Center in East St. Louis, Ill., in August 2021; and at a MetroBus Stop in Maplewood, Mo., in June 2020. Each project showcases a deep understanding of and commitment to equitable development around transit, the possibility of play, the ability for creative interventions to produce a long-term impact for residents of all ages and the need for collaboration to succeed.

The partners work with stakeholders to build consensus and policies to move permanent development forward – and ultimately establish lasting developments at transit stops that are helping to improve safety and security, build ridership and increase activity around transit. Each project also reinforces the element of fun that comes with activating space and will be maintained via partner commitments to ensure sustainability for years to come.

“It is fantastic to witness how these ‘Transit Stop Transformation Projects’ energize spaces,” commented Ken Sharkey, managing director of St. Clair County Transit District. “It is a privilege working alongside our partners to make these types of projects come to life in St. Clair County, and we cannot wait to officially announce what is next.”

To learn more visit about “Transit Stop Transformation Projects” visit www.cmt-stl.org.

Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT) is the region’s transit advocacy organization. It was established in 1985 to help bring light rail to St. Louis and works to develop, support and enhance programming and initiatives to ensure safe, convenient and affordable access to the region’s integrated public transportation system. CMT champions, challenges, encourages and advocates for public transit in an effort to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life in the St. Louis region.

AARP in St. Louis is the local connection for AARP – the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people to choose how they live as they age. Locally this is done through virtual & in-person engagement opportunities, legislative efforts on the local, state and federal level, educational resources, and volunteer opportunities. Advocating for and supporting efforts that contribute to creating a lifelong community is at the core of what we do in the St. Louis region. www.aarp.org/stlouis

Metro Transit operates the St. Louis region’s public transportation system, which includes 24 battery electric buses and nearly 400 clean-burning diesel buses that serve 59 MetroBus routes in eastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois. Metro also operates MetroLink light rail vehicles on 46 miles of track serving 38 stations in the two-state area, and operates Metro Call-A-Ride, a paratransit fleet of 122 vans. Metro Transit is a Bi-State Development enterprise.

Founded in 1981, St. Clair County Transit District contracts with Bi-State Development to provide public transportation services in St. Clair County, Ill., by way of 11 Metro Transit Centers; 12 MetroBus routes; on-demand, shared-ride services and more – connecting individuals to jobs, education, healthcare, entertainment, the MetroBikeLink and other destinations.

###

For more inormation, contact:
Kelly Harris
(314) 436-9090
kelly@hausergrouppr.com 

(more…)

(more…)

(more…)

(more…)