Did You Know
That Transit...? The steel used to manufacture the tracks along parts of the T-REX (Southeast Light Rail) was recycled from the former Mile High Stadium, the long-time home of the Denver Broncos football team. The steel was set aside following the demolition of Mile High and shipped to Pueblo, Colo., where it was melted down and formed into rail for the new Southeast Light Rail corridor. The rail is inscribed "Mile High to T-REX." T-REX Project Fact Book 1999-2006  |
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Hello everyone! This is Bill Spriggs and I have found several news articles, links, and blogs that I wanted to share along THE BACK FENCE & beyond in the Wednesday February 08, 2012 Edition.
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Denver & Colorado
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FastLane.dot.gov
FasTracks West Rail Line Builds on Denver's Rich Rail History
By Ray LaHood, Sec. of Transportation, Feb 07, 2012
The city of Denver became what it is today because of a railroad. After the Denver Pacific Railroad connected the city to the Transcontinental Railroad in 1870, thousands of tourists and millions of pounds of freight were hauled into the city in the first month, and the population grew by a reported 100 residents per day.
TheDenverPost.com
Transportation Chief Lauds FasTracks' West Corridor Line By David Migoya, Feb 06, 2012
Calling the Regional Transportation District's western rail spur of the FasTracks system a "model for America," federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Monday lauded the project as a key to putting unemployed Americans back to work.
READ MORE... BizJournals.com/Denver
Most Colorado Congress Members Back Wind Tax-Break Extension
By Cathy Proctor, Jan 07, 2012 Six of Colorado's seven U.S. House of Representatives members and both of its U.S. senators have signed a letter calling for the extension of the federal wind production tax credit, or "PTC," that the renewable energy industry considers critical, as part of the payroll tax extension.
READ MORE... |
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National
| TheAtlanticCities.com
Congress Is Toying With the Future of Mass Transit
By Eric Jaffe, Feb 07, 2012
On Friday the House Ways and Means Committee passed a vote that would fundamentally reverse 30 years of federal public transit funding, and not in a good way. The vote approved a plan to eliminate the transit account of the Highway Trust Fund.
TransportationNation.org LaHood: Transpo Bill Worst Bill in Decades, Most Partisan Ever By Andrea Bernstein, Feb 02, 2012 It's not just the advocates who hate the new transpo bill. So does Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a former Republican Congressman from Illinois. READ MORE...DC.StreetsBlog.org
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Busts Myth That "Nobody Walks" in Rural America By Ben Goldman, Jan 30, 2012 One reason why Congress may be so willing to eliminate dedicated funding for bicycle and pedestrian programs is the persistent notion that biking and walking are limited to cities, and therefore of no concern to rural legislators MinneapolisStarTribune
If We Stop Light Rail, Here's How We'll Pay. By John Dewitt, Feb 06, 2012 David Osmek's commentary ("Stop the light-rail obsession," Feb. 2) was misleading, because he conveniently ignored the staggering costs of business as usual -- which seems to be his preference. Let's address some of those costs. TheAtlanticCities.com
The Case for Job Density in a Telecommuting Age By Kaid Benfield, Feb 06, 2012 About a year ago, several of us attended a meeting in Washington at which a prominent smart growth leader was showing a presentation on "the business case for smart growth." Much of it was based on the need for everyday, face-to-face business communication within companies and the need for dense environments to facilitate efficient productivity and movement of goods. TheNewYorkTimes.com
How About Gardening at the Dying Mall? By Stephanie Clifford, Feb 05, 2012 Cleveland's Galleria at Erieview, like many malls across the country, is suffering. Closed on weekends because there are so few visitors, it is down to eight retail stores, eight food-court vendors and a couple of businesses like the local bar association. TheNewYorkTimes.com
Parking Being Pushed Out in NYC By Marc Santora, Feb 03, 2012 Ever since the car muscled out the horse and garages supplanted stables, New York City has had a conflicted relationship with the automobile. In recent years, the car has been on the losing side. Whether it is the addition of bike lines or pedestrian plazas, a push for congestion pricing or rising tolls, the once-exalted automobile is under siege. WashingtonPost.com Capital Bikeshare Program Looks to Spread Into the Washington Suburbs
By Ashley Halsey III, Feb 01, 2012
The sturdy red bikes that arrived in the District and Arlington County as a curiosity and now blend into the urban landscape will swarm into suburbia this year.
READ MORE... Wired.com/autopia
For Urban Delivery Trucks, Going Electric Can Only Save Money By Keith Barry, Feb 07, 2012 New research out of MIT shows that going electric could save urban delivery fleets some serious money in the long term, as long as their trucks end up giving power back to the grid when they're not in use. |
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International (when available)
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Wednesday's Films (when available)
| StreetsFilms.org
ˇViva CicLAvia!
By Damien Newton, Feb 02, 2012
After sponsoring two Streetfilms of the first two CicLAvias, Los Angeles' version of the open streets festival based on Bogota's Ciclovia, Los Angeles Streetsblog faced a dilemma: How can we continue to cover the event that draws over a hundred thousand Angelenos to the streets? The Answer: Make a Streetfilm that was accessible to Southern California's large Spanish-speaking population.
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Things you need to know along the West Corridor
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>Denver Union Station
Wednesday, Feb 8th, 2012 4:30 - 5:30pm
Denver Union Station Alliance is holding public Town Hall Meetings to get the public's input on the public policy for The Denver Union Station Redevelopment Project. Focus will be on the management of Union Station's public realm and plaza.
17th and Wynkoop Street, Denver Co 80202
>Lakewood, Wed Feb 08,
Lakewood City Council Ward 2 representatitvies Cindy Baroway and Scott Koop will meet with residents and respectful guests at their monthly outreach meeting. Lakewood West Colfax Business Improvement District Office, 7125 West Colfax Ave, 7:30am to 8:30am. The West Light Rail travels across the northern part of their Ward.
>Lakewood, Wed Feb 18
Lakewood City Council Ward 1 representatitvies Karen Kellen and Ramey Johnson, will meet with residents and respectful guests at their monthly outreach meeting. The West Light Rail travels across the northern part of their Ward.
Coffee-n-Smiles Café, 8440 West Colfax Ave.
>Lakewood, Tuesday, Feb 21, 2012 6:30pm to 8pm.
Cops, Council and Community Forum
Clements Community Center
1580 Yarrow St., Lakewood Co. 80214
The Lakewood Police Department and the Lakewood City Council members from Ward 1 & 2 will host this quarterly forum program. Discussion this month: How to volunteer and what opportunities are in the Police Department. Open to all
>Lakewood, Wednesday, Feb 22, 2012, 7pm to 9pm
Clements Community Center
1580 Yarrow St. Lakewood Co. 80214
The League of Women Voters is sponsoring a public discussion of hydro-fracking. There will be representatives from the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the Oil and Gas Industry and the Colorado Environmental Coalition. After a panel discussion, there will be a question-and-answer session.
>Lakewood, Saturday, March 10, 2012, 7pm. RMCAD Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design
1600 Pierce Street, Lakewood Co. 80214
"Life is nothing if you are not obsessed"
RMCAD Presents an Evening with John Waters Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design is proud to present An Evening with John Waters. The cult filmmaker will present his one-man vaudeville show based on his spoken word, "This Filthy World" in RMCAD's Mary Harris Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public; however, reservations are required. Reservations will be accepted online only, beginning on Monday, February 13, 2012. This event is a part of RMCAD's Visiting Artist, Scholar, and Designer Program. Reservations will begin on February 13, 2012 On This Page:
MAY 19 - 20TH, 2012
DenverInFill.com
Denver Union Station Update #93 Posted by Rick, Jan 17, 2012
READ MORE...
Denver Union Station Construction Cam Golden Jeffco Station Construction Cam
Wish You Could Find an Apartment/Condo near a Light Rail Station? As part of TBF's continuing efforts to bring TOD's to the West Corridor & elsewhere, this link from Walk Score.com will now be a permanent feature. Thanks. |
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Commercial Real Estate Assemblages, Land or Buildings Available on The West Corridor
Please note: TBF does not
own or sell any real property.
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>10th Avenue Light Rail Assemblage
>13th Avenue & Newland St., Light Rail Vacant Land
>5830 West Colfax Ave
THE BACK FENCE supports a corridor wide, regional vision, with individual nodes of unique "places" within that corridor. We hope that the listing of commercial properties available will help to speed this vision to fruition sooner. Learn more about this vision below from the Center for Transit-Oriented Development.
To those new to the area, a great way to get an entire "big picture" view of the entire project is to view the last RTD Fastracks briefing held for elected officials. Click here to view a slide show of the last presentation.
RTD West Rail Line video flyover (entire line from Union Station to the Golden Jeffco Station.
West Corridor Vision
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Things You Need to Know Around the Region
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Applications are now being accepted for the 2012 Transit Alliance Citizens' Academy! Twice a year, the highly-acclaimed Transit Alliance Citizens' Academy holds classes for residents of the Denver Region to learn more about the many facets and huge benefits that transit-oriented living could bring to their neighborhoods. The application process is highly competitive as there are only 50 slots available and the Academy usually receives twice that amount. The Spring and Fall Citizens' Academies will be held on Wednesday evenings for seven weeks at the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM. Spring 2012 classes will be held on Wednesday evenings beginning April 4th and ending on May 16th. Fall 2012 classes will begin on September 5th and end on October 17th, 2012 Clicking here will send you to the application page. Please read the instructions closely and submit your applications from this page. |
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