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FARRC had
the pleasure of being a
"Gold Sponsor" as part of it's Valley CAN grant agreement
and took the opportunity to participate in the informational booth area in
the lobby and used the opportunity to pass out the newly created
brochure insert highlighting the many air quality benefits of rail
consolidation. The highlight of the day for FARRC board members
Bailey and Manning came during the luncheon when John Ferdinandi
Jr., founder of FARRC who past away in January of 2003 was presented
postheumously, with another award (see below.) The award was
accepted by Sally Ferdinandi, John's wife
of 50 years. Below are the hi-lites
of the event as reported by our good friends
at the Fresno Business Council in their
Weekly Bulliten.
Council of
Fresno County Governments Hold Successful Transportation
Forum
Last week the Fresno COG held
its transportation forum that was aptly titled:
Air Quality, Transportation, Land
Use: Fitting the Pieces Together.
The event featured panels on Collaborative Planning, Air Quality, Multi-Modal
Efforts and Measure “C”. The
speakers were excellent and it was clear that the three elements of the theme
are inextricably connected in
their effect on our quality of life.
Phoebe Wall Howard added
her flair in facilitating the panels; keynote speaker Dan Walters provided an astute update on
happenings in the capitol as they pertain to the three forum topics; and COG
staff did an excellent job in pulling it all together! Congratulations also to
the 2003 Transportation
Achievement Award winners:
Ø
Terry O. Cooper
Memorial Award for Leadership – Alan McCuen, Caltrans
Ø
Terry O. Cooper
Memorial Award for Media – Russ Minick, The Fresno
Bee
Ø
Judges Award –
Posthumously to John Ferdinandi, Fresno Area Residents for Rail
Consolidation
Ø
Outstanding
Organization Award – California Highway Patrol for Safety and Farm Labor Vehicle
Education (SAFE)
Ø
Transportation Theme
Award – Cross Valley Rail Corridor Joint Powers Authority: Renovation of 45
Miles of Rail Track from Visalia to Huron
Ø
Best Alternative
Transportation Program – CSUF Commuter Services Alternative Transportation
Program
Ø
Award of Merit – City
of Clovis Planning and Development Services Dept. Clovis Old Town
Trail
The
Fresno Bee also gave the event great marks.
Below is their editorial that appeared
in the Friday, November 21, 2003 edition.
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Connecting the dots
Forum
links transportation, land use and air quality issues.
(Published
Friday, November 21, 2003, 5:38 AM)
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| The
transportation forum held in downtown Fresno on Wednesday was chock-full of
facts, figures, projections and predictions, and it was leavened with some
lively exchanges on the future of Measure C, the county's half-cent sales tax
for transportation needs. It was enough to fill several reporter's notebooks by
the end of the day. But the best thing about the forum may have been the fact
that it happened at all.
The event was sponsored by the Council of Fresno County Governments, and
brought together a wide array of local and regional experts and officials with
experience and responsibilities in the areas of transportation, land use
planning and air quality.
Gathering such people together in one room is a great idea. The human
tendency to compartmentalize, to focus narrowly on our own immediate needs and
goals, runs through our institutions as deeply it runs through individuals. The
press of daily tasks often keeps us gazing intently at the trees and missing the
fact of the forest.
But when people have a chance to get together and share their knowledge --
and their passions for the conclusions they draw from that knowledge -- new
thinking and new strategies begin to emerge.
Nowhere is this more crucial than in these three areas. Transportation, land
use and air quality are inextricably intertwined. Every decision made in one
sphere affects the others. We have been slow in some quarters to come to that
understanding, and those who have achieved it also have a strong obligation to
spread the word to every part of the larger community.
For example, the proposed high-speed rail system holds much promise for
economic development in the Valley, but such trains would also get many people
out of their cars for longer trips, and that would make our air better. Good
planning -- the sort that eschews the sprawl of the past and brings us closer
together -- will also have an impact on air quality by reducing the distances
that people must travel while about on their business. Improved air quality will
make this a more attractive place to live, making it more attractive for
existing businesses to stay and enticing new ones to come. That spurs economic
development, which will help pay for new infrastructure designed with a healthy
environment in mind.
It all fits together, and it was gratifying to see so many bright minds
gathered in one place to discuss that fact. Spread the word. |
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