September 30, 2015
Inside the Ferguson Commission Report
Building a future with transit Recipes
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By Brenda Mahr Passengers board and depart at a MetroLink stop in North St. Louis County. Transit is sighted as one of the key areas of focus for improving the region by the Ferguson Commission Report.
Report sites transportation and business opportunities as ways to move forward By Sara Hardin Editor’s Note: This is the first in a four-part series looking deeper into the Ferguson Commission Report and how area leaders are responding to these challenges. This section will focus on business and transportation. The Ferguson Commission has released its report, titled “Forward through Ferguson,” which addresses key issues in areas such as business, racial equality, police and courts, and education in the St. Louis area. The commission, created by Executive Order by Governor Jay Nixon, and its report are direct responses to the unrest in Ferguson following the Aug. 9, 2014 death of Michael Brown. In the Executive Order calling for the creation of the commission, Nixon explains that last year’s events “underscore the need for a thorough, wideranging and unflinching study of the social and economic conditions that impede progress, equality and safety in the St. Louis region.” The city of Ferguson’s response to the Ferguson Commission Report states that several of the report’s recommendations are presently being implemented. In the interest of supporting businesses in the area, the response states that the city is “providing and securing financial support in the areas of grants, loans and other funding sources for West Florissant business owners to ensure economic success.” The report expresses the importance of recognizing the area’s working citizens and the means by which they work and travel between work and home. Kim Cella, Executive Director of Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT), respond-
ed to the Ferguson Commission Report’s claim that transit is the “key to expanding opportunity to all St. Louisans,” explaining that, currently, the transportation systems in place in the area are insufficient for many working, low-income citizens. “St. Louis currently has an award winning transit system in the region. However, there are many areas where the current service levels are not sufficient to allow for a viable option for commuting for many residents,” explained Cella. “A recent study from Harvard determined the longer an average commute in a given county, the worse the chances of low-income families there moving up the ladder. We know there are many commutes via transit in St. Louis that take upwards of 1.5 hours in one direction. We agree the expansion of transit in this community would expand opportunity for all St. Louisans. We know the benefits of an expanded, integrated transit system in this region would include improved access to jobs, healthcare, and education opportunities; greater economic development and finally reinvestment in underserved parts of the St. Louis community” Cella said that by working closely with the Economic Inequity Working Committee of the Ferguson Commission that CMT was able to ensure transit and transit funding were considered priorities in the Commission Report. In order to secure funding, Cella explained that CMT plans to partner with the necessary organizations to ensure that the necessity of transit reform is not overlooked. She also expressed the urgency of selecting a proj-
Photo by Sara Hardin
Community News’ four-part coverage of the Ferguson Commission Report
Opportunity to Thrive Racial Equity Justice for All Youth at the Center ect in order to identify the resources that should be available in order to progress and expand transit in the area. “We know state funding is a critical component to compete for necessary federal funding for the long term success of any capital project development in the region,” said Cella. “In addition, CMT will be partnering with other groups like the St. Louis Regional Chamber, the St. Louis Transit Alliance, unions, academic institutions and others to advocate for support of transit with the local delegation including the economic returns for the region with transit investment. By selecting a key project, the region will be able to focus resources where they have the greatest [need], including increased access to healthcare, education and employment and ensure effective, efficient implementation of the project. Any increase in public transit services and the mobility it enables can provide significant economic benefits to the region as a whole. Reductions in household expenses, accessibility to potentially higher paying jobs, attraction of talent and business to the region; and finally investment in disinvested areas of our community address many of the concerns in the report.” In general, Cella presses the issue of transit as a key factor in the overall success of an area, and further expresses the idea that by funneling focus into transit services, improvements in many other areas will follow. See BUILDING A FUTURE page 2
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