Williamson Forward trip to Denver opens eyes to future transportation
Source: Williamson Herald
By Derby Jones • Publisher
Zipping through traffic on an express bus, hailing a ride on the Lone Tree Link, or speeding by on the urban rail line were the common modes of transportation experienced by a team of Williamson County leaders and elected officials in Denver late last month as part of the Williamson Forward trip, organized by Williamson Inc.
The trip focused on public transit and the interconnectedness of transportation, education and economic development for the purpose of gaining insight as Williamson County moves forward into the future.
The comprehensive, educational trip was attended by over 90 people, including local business executives, government officials, school officials and mayors — Ken Moore of Franklin, Rogers Anderson of Williamson County, Jill Burgin of Brentwood, and Rick Graham of Spring Hill.
Last year marked the first year of the fact-finding mission, which led the group to Austin, Texas. This year, the Williamson Inc. staff chose Denver as the destination to gather more information from a growing city surrounded by communities much like Williamson County.
“Denver was selected because the surrounding areas more closely mirror Williamson County with its industry and quality of life,” said Matt Largen, Williamson Inc. president and CEO.
“Another reason we selected Denver is the investment the region has made in transit.”
The group immediately became immersed in daily city life by jumping on the rail line from the Denver airport to visit kidney care company DaVita’s headquarters in downtown Denver. The ride took approximately 37 minutes and covered approximately 21 miles. Local entrepreneur Mark Cleveland said he was impressed that over 80 percent of DaVita’s employees use some sort of mass transit, carpool or bikes to get to work.
“This stat surprised me, but they have worked out regional solutions to help employees get to work,” Cleveland said.
“The theme on this trip to me is long-term planning and thinking regionally.”
Cleveland is one of the developers of Hytch, a local app that connects riders to car-pool opportunities in a network.
Anderson said the trip was one of the most informative he has attended.
“It was a great trip to learn how public, private and economic development look at long-term planning for traffic congestion,” Anderson said.
He also said that with proper planning and community involvement, transportation issues can be solved.
“We need to start now, we can’t wait another 15-20 years,” Anderson said when discussing regional transportation options.
Moore echoed the county mayor’s words.
“This was one of the most informative trips that I have been on that covered a broad range of topics,” he said. “Transportation, education and housing topics that we learned about created a lot of questions that we will go back and discuss.”
The group learned from a transportation panel how the Denver area passed legislation to fund some of the transit projects.
Education also emerged as a big focus on the trip, and Williamson County Director of Schools Mike Looney attended the trip along with district staff Dave Allen and Rebecca Collins in College, Career and Technical Education (CTE). The group visited Rock Canyon High School, which is a college preparatory school with cutting-edge programs that combine business partnerships with educational programs. The impressive fire science program, for example, paired students with local fire departments for job training. Attendee Columbia State Community College President Janet Smith talked about the need for public/private partnerships with local schools to provide equipment to help improve programming in schools.
“I was impressed with the local buy-in that the schools had with businesses to help these kids,” Smith said.
The school also featured a Biotech lab, which is part of a two-year study program that ultimately results in a published research paper.
The visit also featured panel discussions at the headquarters of Charles Schwab located in in the city of Lone Tree and how their partnerships with local government spurred economic development. “We learned that to recruit the next generation of talent, that they demand a variety of transportation options, including car, bus, light rail, and bikes,” Largen said.
Other panel discussions featured local experts on affordable housing and the effect of marijuana being legalized in Colorado.
“Employers still have the right to test for drugs when hiring,” said J.J. Ament, CEO of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. “It might be legal for recreational purposes but you have to understand that employers may not hire you if you test positive.”
The final leg of the trip was the bus rapid transit route from Denver to Boulder that demonstrated transit-oriented growth. The bus route had a dedicated lane and the route also featured a bike lane.
“One thing that became clear is that everyone wanted a single, central destination for all modes of transit,” said Largen. Union Station in downtown Denver is the central destination for rail and buses. “I believe Bus Rapid Transit should be explored in Williamson County, especially along the I-65 corridor.”