Yesterday, we attended the 6th annual Friends of Transit Conference at the METRO operations and maintenance center. Talk about being in our element! I met several like-minded people that are almost as excited as we are for the opening of Light Rail this coming December.

There were many very interesting speakers; From Phil Gordon, to Rick Simonetta (CEO of METRO), to developers, business leaders, politicians etc. The overall vision of public transit was articulated very well between many fine presenters. To me, the most interesting panel consisted of Grady Gammage, Randy Levin, Jeff Moloznik and Debra Friedman. These four people spoke of how light rail can and will impact the areas surrounding the line. I was very impressed with their vision and excitement for how light rail will impact their respective projects and lifestyles. (more about these projects soon!)

Following the conference, we all got to take a ride the Light Rail. The people at the maintenance facility are great! Very friendly, very informative and they all seem to truly love their jobs. Soon, we will add some pics and video from the event. A special thanks to Friends of Transit and to METRO for this event!