NEWS RELEASE

July 15, 2008

Contacts:
David Bower, Steering Committee Chair, Mayor of Raytown, Mo., 816/737-6000
Kendrick Blackwood, Assistant Director of Communications, Kansas City, Mo., Mayor?s Office, 816/513-3513, kendrick_blackwood@kcmo.org
Tom Gerend, Assistant Director of Transportation, Mid-America Regional Council, 816/474-4240, tgerend@marc.org
Jody Ladd Craig, MARC Public Affairs Director, 816/701-8241; jcraig@marc.org

Regional public transit summit planned for July 25
Community meetings begin July 16 in Clay and Platte counties

City and county representatives from Clay, Jackson and Platte counties will come together for a public transit summit on Friday, July 25, from 8:30–10:00 a.m. The event will be held at the Gladstone Community Center, 6901 N. Holmes, Gladstone, Mo. Co-hosts include Mark Funkhouser, mayor of Kansas City, Mo.; David Bower, mayor of Raytown, Mo.; and Ed Quick, presiding commissioner of Clay County.

Elected leaders in the three counties have spent many hours in the last two months working jointly on a plan for expanded, multimodal, regional public transit service that meets the objectives of individual cities, connects our region, and gives residents meaningful, sustainable travel choices. The proposal will reflect Smart Moves, metropolitan Kansas City's vision for expanded and enhanced regional transit services.

At the event, subcommittees will report progress made on technical, finance, governance and public input issues since the last summit on June 20. Elected officials will present a consensus opinion about how regional public transit planning complements the Kansas City, Mo., light-rail effort, and discuss next steps. There will also be an open comment period to hear public feedback.

In the meantime, community meetings begin July 16 around the three counties to explain the regional planning effort, and to discuss priority connections and service costs. Check the calendar at www.kcsmartmoves.org for dates and maps of upcoming meetings.


DATE

TIME

LOCATION

July 16

7:00?8:30 p.m.

Gladstone Community Center, 6901 N. Holmes, Gladstone, Mo.
Bus routes: 37-Gladstone, 237-Gladstone/Antioch MetroFlex

July 17

6:30?8:00 p.m.

Platte Woods City Hall, 6750 NW Tower Dr., Platte Woods, Mo.

July 17

7:00?8:30 p.m.

Paradise Pointe Clubhouse, 182121 Golf Drive, Smithville, Mo.

July 23

7:00?8:30 p.m.

North Kansas City Community Center, 1999 N. Iron, North Kansas City, Mo.
Bus route: 244-NKC MetroFlex

July 24

7:00?8:30 p.m.

Liberty Community Center, 1600 S. Withers Road, Liberty, Mo.

July 30

7:00?8:30 p.m.

Excelsior Springs City Hall, 201 E. Broadway, Excelsior Springs, Mo.

NOTE: Jackson County meetings are still being scheduled.

More information about the Smart Moves regional public transit proposal effort is at www.kcsmartmoves.org. ?Officials hope hundreds of citizens will take the online survey to provide input on how planning for regional public transit should move forward.

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