An open house will be held Tuesday, June 18, from 4:30-7:30 pm, in the Crown District of Old North St. Louis at 2617 North 14th Street. With every project the District undertakes, it seeks public input to ensure that the work carried out reflects the desires of the people it serves. At The Trestle open house, the District will showcase early renderings of the project and ask St. Louis residents for their input on project design and amenities. The Trestle is planned to be a unique destination, and getting feedback on the visitor experience and priorities is important.

The Trestle project will transform the abandoned Iron Horse Trestle into a 1.5-mile elevated park, spanning from Branch Street to 14^th Street in the heart of Old North St. Louis. The project will be unique as the only elevated rail park in the world that ties into a comprehensive network of trails and greenways. The Great Rivers Greenway District, which serves St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County, has developed more than 114 miles of off-street trails to date in its 600-mile regional plan. The Trestle would tie into the Confluence Greenway along the Mississippi River. Trail users would have multiple options to travel north to the McKinley Bridge or Old Chain of Rocks Bridge to access trails in Illinois; south to downtown St. Louis along the Riverfront Trail, or west overlooking Produce Row, Broadway and Interstate 70 into Old North St. Louis.

The District purchased the abandoned railroad trestle, which spans over Interstate 70 just two blocks north of where the new Mississippi River Bridge now crosses, in 2004 for $1.5 million. The elevated rail was built 100 years ago for electric-powered passenger trains that connected downtown to the metro east. Construction of the elevated park will likely be a combination of public and private funding and will be built in phases as funding becomes available. Last summer, Great Rivers Greenway launched the “Friends of the Trestle” organization to assist in raising awareness of the project, soliciting donations and ensuring long-term conservation of the Trestle once it is completed.

“When we launched the Friends of the Trestle last summer, the public immediately saw the potential of this project to improve the quality of life for the entire region,” said Todd Antoine, Director for Planning at Great Rivers Greenway. “The Trestle will move our region forward, as a unique destination and a model for sustainable redevelopment, while honoring and highlighting all of the things that have always made the surrounding neighborhood unique – the history, the architecture, the river. We’re excited to take this next step towards construction, and to invite the public to be a part of this project.”

For more information on the Open House and The Trestle, visit www.GreatRiversGreenway.org or www.FriendsoftheTrestle.org.

About Great Rivers Greenway:

The Great Rivers Greenway District was created by a vote of the people in 2000 with the goal of making the St. Louis region a better place to live. The public organization is carrying this goal by creating community connections with the River Ring, n interconnected system of trails and greenways. The District also works to provide transportation alternatives, preserve nature, improve health and increase the economic vitality of the region. Great Rivers Greenway’s district includes St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. For more information, visit www.greatriversgreenway.org.

# # #

Note: Attendees can use the parking lots behind 2624 14th Street and 2700 14th Street (both are just across the street from the venue). 

For More Information Contact:

Pamela Powell, The Hauser Group. 314.436.9090

Todd Antoine, Great Rivers Greenway. 314.436.7009 office, 314.304.5764 mobile

“We are incredibly grateful that we were able to be recognized by two excellent organizations in one evening,” said Susan Trautman, executive director of Great Rivers Greenway. “These honors for our conservation work and collaborative partnerships would not be possible without the support and partnership of the residents and organizations region-wide. These awards belong to each of them as well, for their support of our work.”

The Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region recognized the work of the District with the 2013 Land Conservancy Award at the 48^th Annual Dinner and Silent Auction held at the Hilton Frontenac, and the St. Louis County Municipal League bestowed its Creative Collaboration Award to the District the same night at Glen Echo Country Club.

The Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region‘s Land Conservancy Award is given to individuals, companies and organizations that have made significant contributions to the health and conservancy of open spaces in the St. Louis region. To date, the District has connected 38,000 acres of land and preserved more than 1,500 acres through the development of the River Ring, an interconnected system of greenways, trails and parks.

The St. Louis County Municipal League presents the Creative Collaboration Award to individuals and organizations that strive to link communities together. With an ever-growing list of more than 140 partners regionally, the District has long believed in partnership and collaboration and gives credit to its partners’ willingness to collaborate.

For more information about the Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region, visit www.openspacestl.org, and for more information on the St. Louis County Municipal League and the 2013 Creative Collaboration award, visit http://www.stlmuni.org/.

About Great Rivers Greenway

The Great Rivers Greenway District was created by a vote of the people in 2000 with the goal of making the St. Louis region a better place to live. The public organization is carrying this goal by creating community connections with the River Ring, an interconnected system of trails and greenways. The District also works to provide transportation alternatives, preserve nature, improve health and increase the economic vitality of the region. Great Rivers Greenway’s district includes St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. For more information, visit www.greatriversgreenway.org.

For More Information Contact:

Pamela Powell, The Hauser Group. 314.436.9090

“We have to plan now to ensure Scott Air Force Base is poised for success and growth in the future,” said Congressman Bill Enyart (D-IL). “This requires a strong network of local and state leadership working alongside business, education and industry in a regional collaborative effort. It’s imperative that the entire region pull together now to make Scott’s future growth its top priority. I look forward to working with the taskforce to accomplish the hard work that lies ahead of us.”

The taskforce will be co-chaired by Ellen Krohne, Executive Director of the Leadership Council; Terry Beach, Director of Economic Development for St. Clair County, and Frank Miles, Business Development Manager of America’s Central Port, representing Madison County. Additional taskforce members include Gerry Schuetzenhofer, President of Coldwell Banker Brown Realtors and Chairman of the Leadership Council’s Military Affairs Committee; Ronda Sauget, President of Validus Strategies and current President of the Leadership Council; Mike Leopold, Senior Vice President of Huntleigh Security Corp., and Retired Major General Jack Griffith. The parties involved have already been mobilized to gain a better understanding of the issues surrounding the decisions being made on where to locate the newest generation of air refueling tankers. The task force will be working to engage a broader coalition to include local mayors and other regional leaders from both sides of the Mississippi River as it moves forward.

“While Scott Air Force Base wasn’t included on the list of bases being considered for the first round of new tankers, our team has been collaborating with colleagues at the base and with our Illinois federal delegation to learn more about how Scott scored, where Scott may be deficient and what we, as a region, can do to ensure our base will be well positioned for consideration in the future,” noted Krohne. She adds that those efforts also will ramp up under the guidance of the new taskforce, which will be hiring the appropriate consultants and advisors as the need arises. One of the first items on the agenda will be working with the base to conduct a strategic analysis of the factors that can aid in continued growth of Scott, including the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This will help to guide the development of the taskforce’s formal action plan in the months to come.

“Whether it’s another BRAC or additional Department of Defense reductions, it’s imperative that we be prepared to not only protect Scott, but to ensure that we are helping to strengthen the base for the future,” noted St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern. “Scott’s annual impact on our region tops $3 billion, and we will do everything we can to retain and grow that vital asset.”

The St. Louis region is familiar with the base closure process, and as the regional economic development organization representing Madison and St. Clair counties, the Leadership Council has been a driving force behind the efforts to preserve and enhance Scott Air Force Base.  In 1995 and again in 2005, Madison and St. Clair counties, the State of Illinois, the Leadership Council and the St. Louis Regional Chamber worked with the Illinois delegation to keep Scott Air Force Base open. After much hard work, preparation, cooperation and support, the groups’ efforts successfully defended the base during both rounds of BRAC, and in the last 10 years, the economic impact of the base has increased by 40 percent.

One of the primary lessons learned from those efforts is that community support is essential in helping keep a base open. A strong community effort matters to the Department of Defense when it looks for ways to evaluate and compare bases across the country. The recent recognition of the St. Louis region as the winner of the Abilene Trophy, which is awarded to the community that best supports the airmen at Air Mobility Command bases, is a testament to the strength of the community support for Scott Air Force Base that exists here in the St. Louis region.

“As the taskforce engages on this vital issue for our region, we know we can count on the St. Louis region to be behind us every step of the way,” noted Madison County Chairman Alan Dunstan. “The outcome of the 2005 BRAC validated what we’ve known all along – that Scott Air Force Base is an outstanding military facility with an exceptional staff that does a tremendous job defending this nation. We’re committed to making sure that work continues right here at Scott.”

As the taskforce gears up, those leading it recognize that the many enhancements at Scott between the 1995 and 2005 rounds of BRAC were also a key factor in the decision to keep Scott open. The construction of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport as a joint-use facility adjacent to Scott Air Force Base added a new 10,000-foot runway, a 7,000-foot taxiway and renovated and extended Scott Air Force Base’s runway to 8,000 feet. In addition, a state-of-the-art FAA traffic control tower was added to allow the base to handle more traffic with maximum safety. The126th Air National Guard Refueling Wing relocated to Scott AFB, and it also became home to the 18th Air Force Headquarters.

“Since 2005, not only has Scott AFB held onto its ranking as one of the largest employers in the St. Louis metropolitan region, but it has also added new missions as a result of the consolidation that followed the last BRAC,” noted Krohne. “The base continues to have excess ramp space to accommodate more aircraft, buildable acreage on base, and hundreds of adjacent acres of land available for future expansion, as well as an award-winning land use plan. The opportunities for future growth are tremendous, and our taskforce will make every effort to turn those opportunities into reality.”

The Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois is a member-based, economic development corporation representing Madison and St. Clair counties. The Council works to unite business, industry, government, education and labor for economic growth in Southwestern Illinois. These effective partnerships serve as a driving force behind successful economic development efforts throughout the Metro East region.

For more information, contact:

Julie Hauser, The Hauser Group, Inc. 314.436.9090

Ellen Krohne, Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois. 618.692.9745

]]> http://www.hausergrouppr.com/2013/05/053113-new-taskforce-formed-to-focus-on-retention-and-expansion-of-scott-air-force-base/feed/ 0 http://www.hausergrouppr.com/2013/05/053013-alternative-modes-of-transportation-to-go-head-to-head-as-part-of-citizen-for-modern-transits-great-race-ii/ http://www.hausergrouppr.com/2013/05/053013-alternative-modes-of-transportation-to-go-head-to-head-as-part-of-citizen-for-modern-transits-great-race-ii/#comments Thu, 30 May 2013 19:08:16 +0000 julie http://www.hausergrouppr.com/?p=1523 St. Louis, MO (Thursday, May 30) –  Team TRANSIT, Team BIKE, Team CARSHARE and Team CARPOOL went head-to-head in a competition this afternoon to raise awareness about the viable transportation options available in our region as part of Citizens for Modern Transit’s Great Race II. The event, designed to play off the CBS television hit “The Amazing Race,” required each team to follow route specifics indicative of its transportation mode while trying to get from The Laurel Apartments in downtown to the finish line at Fortel’s Pizza Den in Clayton the fastest during the evening rush.

Each team was made up of local media personalities and representatives of companies and organizations with a vested interest in the alternative commute, including: Anchor Kevin Steincross of Fox 2 News, reporter Heidi Glaus of KDSK News channel 5, reporter Diana Zoga of KMOV Ch. 4, meteorologist Angela Hutti of Fox 2 and News 11, Phillips & Company Morning Show host Kevin The Intern of Y98, Todd Morgan from KHITS 96.3, Riz from 105.7 The Point, Rosalind Early from St. Louis Magazine, Don Corrigan from Times Newspapers; Lindsay Toler from Patch.com; representatives from Citizens for Modern Transit, Metro, the St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership, Enterprise CarShare, RideFinders, Great Rivers Greenway, STL Style, Fortel’s Pizza Den, the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County Economic Council, MERS Goodwill, FOCUS St. Louis, the Federal Courts, BMW of O’Fallon, St. Louis Bicycle Works, Spoked STL and Wolfpack Hustle, and well as members of the community at large.

The race got underway at 4:30 p.m. at The Laurel Apartments in downtown St. Louis and culminated with a finish line celebration where recognition and bragging rights were awarded to the winning team, food and beverages were served and goodie-bags were given to the first 100 guests at the Fortel’s Pizza Den in Clayton. Area residents rallied behind the alternative mode of transportation they like best by interacting on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GreatRaceII. The finish line celebration was open to the public.

Citizens for Modern Transit’s GREAT RACE II was made possible thanks to the support of the St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership, Metro, Enterprise CarShare, RideFinders, Great Rivers Greenway, The Laurel, Fortel’s Pizza Den, St. Clair County Transit District and STL Style.

To learn more about Citizens for Modern Transit, call (314) 231-7272, visit www.cmt-stl.org, find the organization on Facebook or follow them on Twitter @cmt_stl.

Citizens for Modern Transit is a not-for-profit organization in St. Louis whose mission is to expand the light rail system in order to build more sustainable, accessible communities in the region. 

For more information, contact:

Kelly Harris, The Hauser Group, Inc. 314.436.9090 Kelly@HauserGroupPR.com

Kim Cella, Citizens for Modern Transit. 314.231.7272

The Lieutenant Governor’s Senior Service Award recognizes seniors ages 60 years and older who volunteer a minimum of 25 hours per year. Thaman, who spends approximately 20 hours a week volunteering, was honored for his role in assisting St. Andrew’s and a variety of other local non-profits and providing counsel and guidance.

For the past six years, he has dedicated his life to helping to enhance the lives of seniors in the St. Louis region through his work with St. Andrew’s.  He explores opportunities to help those most in need, while diligently maintaining and increasing the organization’s volunteer base and helping develop fundraising plans and activities. Over the past 20 years, he has also devoted his time helping other organizations and has served on numerous boards, including two St. Louis-area senior housing facilities managed by St. Andrew’s. He currently serves on the boards of the Washington University Whittemore House and Eden Seminary, and he served as chair in 2012 for the Giddings-Lovejoy Presbytery Property Committee. Thaman also is an Elder with Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church.

“St. Andrew’s is blessed to have Mr. Thaman volunteer his time, talent, skills and dedication to our mission,” said Mary Alice Ryan, president and CEO of St. Andrew’s. “The Lieutenant Governor’s office reviewed 150 nominations for this year’s Senior Service award, and we are thrilled that they recognized how instrumental Mr. Thaman is to St. Louis’ volunteer base.”

Thaman graduated from the University of Cincinnati, with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1959 and began his community involvement in 1965. He was a long-time employee of Anheuser-Busch, Inc. with various responsibilities in brewery and packaging design, plant operations and organizational development. Upon retirement from Anheuser-Busch, Thaman entered the field of academia as the Associate Vice Chancellor of Facilities for Washington University in St. Louis, where he was responsible for all aspects of the campus buildings and grounds, including construction of new buildings, maintenance and utility operations.

For more information, contact:            

Julie Hauser, The Hauser Group, Inc. 314.436.9090

Ann Bannes, St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors System, 314.726.0111

Consisting of Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas and Oklahoma, the Great Plains region had approximately 30 participating groups during 2012. Of those 30 angel groups, the Arch Angels was named as the most active based on total deals.

In all, the Arch Angles invested $5.6 million in 16 new and existing startups in 2012, the largest number of companies the Arch Angels had ever funded in a single year.  “We are proud to be recognized as the most active angel group in this region because it showcases  our commitment to entrepreneurial endeavors and the growth of our St. Louis region,” said Gil Bickel, chairman of the St. Louis Arch Angels .  “And we believe the level of activity will continue to grow in 2013 as the Arch Angels network continues to expand.”

Numbers from the first quarter of 2013 would indicate that the network, which  grew its membership base by nearly 43 percent during 2012, is certainly on track for another banner year.  By the end of March, $3,111,000 had been invested by Arch Angels members, with $462,000 in seed money provided to three new companies: Adarza BioSystems, BacterioScan and Kogent. Additionally, eight follow on investments totaling $2,649,000 have been made in previously funded companies.

For more information about the St. Louis Arch Angels, visit www.stlouisarchangels.com or call 314-444-1151.

The St. Louis Arch Angels Network was established in January 2005 as an independent, 501c(6) not-for-profit corporation. Arch Angel members provide seed and early-stage capital in the range of $250K-$1M, an investment range not generally served by venture capitalists. To date, the St. Louis Arch Angels Network has invested more than $34.6 million in 42 companies.

For more information, contact:            

Julie Hauser, The Hauser Group, Inc. 314.436.9090

Chris Walsh, St. Louis Arch Angels. 314.444.1151

New this season is the addition of three cabanas that will be available for all-day rental with a nominal fee. The cabanas are located next to the Riverside Grill and provide a spectacular view of the Mississippi River, while also offering shade for visitors looking to escape the hot summer sun. Raging Rivers also continues to make improvements to its rides. The two-bowl Swirlpool, which incorporates three rides into one, is now seamless, providing visitors with a smoother and faster ride down the attraction’s tunnel flume and into a giant vortex before the guests are dropped into a deep pool of water.

“We always strive to make Raging Rivers a place where guests can either relax or have a blast experiencing any of our attractions, and the improvements we’ve made for the 2013 season will allow kids and adults alike to have an even more enjoyable experience when they visit the park this summer,” said Donna Smith, general manager of Raging Rivers. “Raging Rivers truly offers something for everyone.”

Raging Rivers has entertainment that individuals of all ages can enjoy.  Aside from the newly improved Swirlpool, thrill seekers will appreciate the 500-foot dual Cascade Body Flumes, which give riders a rush as they speed, twist and turn down the natural hills and contours of the park. They can also take a ride on the Runaway Rafts, a 600-foot long adventure through swift water and wild rapids to three pools,  and the Shark Slide flume, which floats riders down a 45-foot tunnel flume into a catch pool.

For guests looking for a more relaxing experience, the park also features a 700-foot-long Endless River of cool, clear water that lets riders float along at a tranquil 2 ½ mile per hour pace in a continuous loop; the 18,000-square-foot Breaker Beach Wavepool, which allows swimmers to relax when the waves are “off” and “ride the tide” when the four-foot waves start to roll, and the “just for kids” Itty Bitty Surf City that features a pint-sized waterslide, splash pool, rain tree and tunnel area. Tree House Harbor provides another play area for youngsters, featuring a crawl tunnel, overhead rope pulls, tunnel slides and the ever-popular bucket that randomly spills 1,000 gallons of water.

Raging Rivers will be open Memorial Day weekend, May 25^th – 27^th, from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The waterpark will be open daily from June 1^st through June 7^th, from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Beginning Saturday, June 8^th, the park will be open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. through Saturday, August 4^th. From August 5^th through August 25^th, Raging Rivers will return to its 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. schedule. The park reopens for one last blast of summer on Labor Day weekend, August 31^st through September 2^nd, from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Admission is $18.95 for children under 48 inches tall and senior citizens ages 60 and older, $21.95 for adults over 48 inches tall and FREE for children under the age of two. Guests arriving after 3:00 p.m. will save $5 on the price of each ticket. Individual Season Passes are available for $80 each, and family passes are $70 each when buying four or more. Season Passes include FREE parking, one FREE ticket for a friend and a 10 percent discount on all concession and gift shop purchases.

For more information regarding operating hours, attractions, specials, directions and more, call Raging Rivers at (618) 786-2345 or log on to www.ragingrivers.com. The water park is located at 100 Palisades Parkway off the Great River Road in Grafton, Ill. Raging Rivers WaterPark offers group and party packages that include special reserved group areas, onsite catering, food service and special group rates.

Raging Rivers first opened its gates in the summer of 1990 and made its mark as the first water park in the Greater St. Louis area. It has since evolved into a 28-acre, multi-million dollar attraction that has catered to millions of visitors over the years. 

For more information, contact:

Pamela Powell, The Hauser Group. 314.436.9090

Donna Smith, Raging Rivers. 618.786.2345

]]> http://www.hausergrouppr.com/2013/05/051613-raging-rivers-waterpark-prepares-to-splash-into-its-24th-season/feed/ 0 http://www.hausergrouppr.com/2013/04/04-30-13-area-residents-invited-to-experience-local-history-at-11th-annual-mary-meachum-freedom-crossing-celebration-on-may-18/ http://www.hausergrouppr.com/2013/04/04-30-13-area-residents-invited-to-experience-local-history-at-11th-annual-mary-meachum-freedom-crossing-celebration-on-may-18/#comments Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:39:19 +0000 julie http://www.hausergrouppr.com/?p=1443 St. Louis, Mo., April 30, 2013… On Saturday, May 18, 2013, at 11:00 a.m., area residents are invited to watch local history come alive as Missouri’s first national Underground Railroad site, the historic Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing, is transformed into a Civil War military camp.  In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the free event will highlight the experiences recently emancipated black slaves had enlisting in the Union Army during the Civil War. The replica recruitment camp will look very similar to what the public would have seen in 1863 in and around Benton Barracks, the largest Union Army training camp in Missouri during the Civil War and the largest African-American recruitment and induction site from Ohio to California.  At its height, 24,000 men were on the grounds of Benton Barracks, which was located on what is now known as Fairgrounds Park.

“Many St. Louisans are unaware that Benton Barracks was located on what is now known as Fairgrounds Park,” said Angela da Silva, Adjunct Professor at Lindenwood University and reenactor director responsible for creating the replica recruitment camp. “We are excited to be able to bring such an important part of our history back to life at the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing site, and we encourage everyone to come out and get a sense of what life was like during the latter stages of the Civil War, especially for the men of color who made that transformation from slave to citizen soldier.”

The Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing site is located by the Riverfront Trail on the banks of the Mississippi River, just north of Merchant’s Bridge in North St. Louis City. The event will begin when the Blue Gray Alliance in authentic Civil War uniforms arrive to pitch their tents and build campfires on the evening of Friday, May 17. The next day, the camp will come to life with historical figures, such as Abraham Lincoln; Frederick Douglass, leader of the abolitionist movement; Mary Meachum, a free woman of color who helped guide many slaves to freedom by helping them to cross over to the free state of Illinois, and Elizabeth Keckley, a former St. Louis slave who became an activist and gained fame as a professional dressmaker and confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln.

The event will also feature cavalry units with horses, a cannon, period games for children, an example of a Freedman school, a 19^th century medicine show, choirs, and an 1863 fashion show.  The highlight event of the day will honor Lincoln University, which owes its founding to contributions made by the Black 62^nd and 65^th regiments organized at Benton Barracks.  Everyone is also invited to a barn dance, which will conclude the event festivities.

This event is free, and sponsors include Great Rivers Greenway, Youth and Family Center, the National Black Tourism Network, the City of St. Louis, St. Louis Public Library, Lincoln University, Lindenwood University, and the Daniel Boone Home and Heritage Center.

For more information, contact Angela da Silva, (314) 865-0708, ADaSilva@Lindenwood.edu or

Doug Eller, (314) 258-6532, ellerdoug@gmail.com.

About Great Rivers Greenway

Great Rivers Greenway was created by a vote of the people in 2000 with the goal of making the St. Louis region a better place to live. The public organization is carrying out the desires of the public by connecting an interconnected system of trails and greenways, designed to connect communities, provide transportation alternatives, preserve nature, improve health and increase the economic vitality of the region. Great Rivers Greenway includes St. Louis City and County and St. Charles County. For more information, visit www.grgstl.org.

For More Information Contact:

Pamela Powell, The Hauser Group. 314.436.9090

Danni Eickenhorst, Great Rivers Greenway. 314.932.4910

“Wake Up to a Sweeter Commute” events are scheduled for following stations and bus transfer centers:

• Belleville MetroLink Station, 2622 Carlyle Ave., Belleville, IL 62221
• Fairview Heights, 9200 St. Clair Ave., Fairview Heights, IL 62208
• Shrewsbury MetroLink Station, 7201 Lansdowne Ave., St. Louis, MO 63119
• Civic Center Transfer Center, 14th and Spruce streets, Downtown St. Louis, MO, 63102
• Central West End Station, 410 S Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110
• North Hanley, 4398 Hanley Rd, Berkeley, MO 63134

“Our community offers a variety of very viable alternative transportation options and convenient incentives, like the Guaranteed Ride Home program, that make taking transit, bicycling or walking even easier choices,” commented Kim Cella, the executive director of Citizens for Modern Transit. “The program acts as a safety net in case a situation arises when an individual needs an assured and immediate ride home.”

More specifically, the Guaranteed Ride Home Program is an incentive for commuters to travel to work by transit or bicycling rather than driving alone. It provides immediate transportation, either a cab ride or rental car, in case of an emergency, sickness or unscheduled overtime. CMT has recently partnered with Enterprise Rent-A-Car to expand the program to include the rental car option as another alternative for getting home in case of an emergency. To register for the program or to simply learn more, area residents are encouraged to stop by one of the previously mentioned “Wake Up to a Sweeter Commute” event locations or visit www.cmt-stl.org/ride_home_commuters.html.

A special thanks to Big Shark Bicycle Company for their sponsorship of this activity. To learn more about Citizens for Modern Transit, call (314) 231-7272, visit www.cmt-stl.org, find the organization on Facebook or follow them on Twitter @cmt_stl.

Citizens for Modern Transit is a not-for-profit organization in St. Louis whose mission is to expand the light rail system in order to build more sustainable, accessible communities in the region. 

For more information, contact:

Kelly Harris, The Hauser Group. 314.436.9090

Kim Cella, Citizens for Modern Transit. 314.231.7272

The district, which serves St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County, is working to improve the quality of life for the entire region by connecting communities with greenway trails and on-street bicycle routes. To date, the district has developed more than 114 miles of greenway trails in its overall 600-mile region River Ring plan.

The first segment of the Centennial Greenway was constructed from the Katy Trail to Heritage Museum Park in St. Charles County in 2010. The proposed extension would allow individuals living and working in the St. Charles County area to safely connect on bike or foot from downtown St. Charles to St. Peters, from the Katy Trail to Laurel Park and to Wapelhorst Park and the Spencer Creek in future phases.

Since construction of the first phase of the Centennial Greenway in 2010, the popular trail has realized heavy use, with more than 214,000 cyclists and pedestrians utilizing the Centennial Greenway to connect to the Katy Trail each year. With increased use, the need for a safe off-street connection over Highways 364 and 94 has become apparent. The proposed extension of the Centennial Greenway would provide trail users the opportunity to cross the busy thoroughfare without risking their safety, and that of their family, in the process.

The project proposes connections that would affect many in the region. More than 2,300 K-12 students living near the project zone would be provided with safer access to schools, parks and area activities. More than 10,000 people living within one mile of the Heritage Museum would have the opportunity to walk or ride to get where they need to go safely. With the Centennial Greenway’s proposed expansion, local residents and trail users would enjoy new connections to St. Peters, and in time, to the Upper Mississippi River.

For more information on the Open House and Centennial Greenway Phase II, visit www.CentennialGreenway.org.

About Great Rivers Greenway:

The Great Rivers Greenway District was created by a vote of the people in 2000 with the goal of making the St. Louis region a better place to live. The public organization is carrying this goal by creating community connections with the River Ring, an interconnected system of trails and greenways. The District also works to provide transportation alternatives, preserve nature, improve health and increase the economic vitality of the region. Great Rivers Greenway’s district includes St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. For more information, visit www.greatriversgreenway.org.

For more information, contact:            

Pamela Powell, The Hauser Group, Inc. 314.436.9090

Danni Eickenhorst, Great Rivers Greenway, 314.932.4910 office; 314.580.8874 mobile

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