By: Dan Calabrese
Proponents of The Silver Line Rapid Transit, a frequent and fast local mass-transit service proposed by The Rapid, on Tuesday secured the support of approximately 30 community organizations to support a millage that will go before voters on May 5.
Voters in the cities of Grand Rapids, Grandville, Wyoming and Walker will decide whether to approve a 1.28-mill levy to establish the Silver Line. The route runs north along Division from 60th Street through the Medical Mile and downtown Grand Rapids to The Rapid Central Station.
Although the Silver Line uses buses in its service, it is designed to provide many of the benefits of light rail by using dedicated bus lanes, making fewer stops and utilizing advanced technology.
David Bulkowski, a representative of Friends of Transit, said about 40 individuals representing at least 30 organizations – including neighborhood groups and nonprofits – attended Tuesday’s presentation and agreed to support the millage campaign.
The 1.28-mill levy, which would take effect in 2012, includes a renewal of a 1.12-mill levy approved in 2007 and an additional 0.16 mills. The Rapid estimates the millage increase will raise $13.97 million in its first year. It will be in effect for five years. The 0.16 mill tax increase will cost the owner of a $150,000 home about $12 a year.
The Rapid is seeking approval now because a yes vote would make the region eligible for $32 million in federal funds and $8 million in state matching funds to build the line.
“It’s in [the nonprofit’s] self-interest to be helping,” Bulkowski said. “We had a couple of members of Faith in Motion here, along with a number of nonprofits like Senior Neighbors, American Red Cross, Touchstone and Hope Network to learn how this is going to help their constituencies.”
Although the line will not run throughout all of the area that votes on May 5, Bulkowski hopes voters across the region will support the opportunity to take area mass transit to the next level.
“People closer to South Division are going to say, hey, I’m going to be able to take this,” Bulkowski said. “People on the north side are going to be able to say that we’re moving forward with transit in our community. The hope is that with a positive vote we’ll be able to start planning the next line. The Rapid can’t promise that, but my hope is that we’ll be able to be planning more service.”
Source: David Bulkowski, Friends of Transit
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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