Thank you.

On behalf of Friends of Transit, we would like to thank all who worked on the Silver Line Campaign for their hard work. In spite of our efforts, we did not win.

Please note the word choice. We did not win the Silver Line Millage. We do not feel in any way that we lost this election. This is not “spin.” This is not minimizing the fact that the YES votes totaled 47.7% and the No votes were at 52.3%. Actually, this phrase puts proper light on the fact that a HUGE THANK YOU needs to go out to our record number of volunteers and endorsers and supporters. Unfortunately, voters looked into the eyes of the worst Michigan economy since the Great Depression and, collectively, we blinked.

So, we say THANK YOU to all who helped in any way. Feel good about how well we did. Some might even think 47.7% yes in this economy is quite a feat. (Let’s hope the feds do and they give us another chance at this!)

David Doyle & Dave Bulkowski, Co-Chairs; Ruth Kelly, Campaign Coordinator

Ready to Help Move Our Community Forward!

The Rapid Board is poised to ask the citizens of its six member cities for the needed support to make the Silver Line rapid transit a reality for the first time in Michigan. And Friends of Transit is ready to do its part in the campaign to educate area voters and get out the “yes” vote on May 5, the tentative millage election date. View the Silver Line rapid transit ballot question.

After years of study, the federal and state governments are ready to provide the dollars needed to build the Silver Line rapid transit system; The Rapid now must secure the local dollars needed to operate the new service.

“This is about jobs and development,” stated Rick Chapla of the Right Place, Inc. “Not only will there be jobs in the building of the new Rapid Transit line, but this type of service will attract new development and in fill redevelopment along the entire line.”

“This really is a new kind of service,” said David Doyle, Friends of Transit Co-chair and long-time transit supporter. “As the experience of other cities across the country has shown, this kind of investment in rapid transit has spurred development along the new lines. I am very excited about how this will help the Division corridor rebound.”

What makes this proposal unique is that, if passed by the voters, The Rapid will stand to gain $40 million in federal capital dollars to support the building of the Silver Line rapid transit line. The proposed service will run from 60th Street on South Division north until Wealthy Street and then run throughout the downtown area to support such employment and educational centers as Spectrum Health’s Butterworth campus, St, Mary’s Medical Center, DeVos Place, Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids Community College and the GVSU Cook-DeVos Health Sciences Building.