Last Friday I was pleased to visit Kent, Ohio, and sign the very first of our TIGER transit grant agreements. This $20 million agreement is for the Kent Central Gateway multimodal transit center, a perfect example of what our TIGER program is trying to do.
Two years ago, Kent State University surveyed its students to find out what it would take to persuade them to stay after graduation and put their talents and skills to good use in Portage County.
A strong majority said they wanted a vibrant downtown with plenty of culture and places to gather. They wanted accessible, walkable streets and neighborhoods with character. They wanted a strong sense of community.
In short, they wanted the kind of town envisioned by our TIGER grant program and by President Obama's interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities.
Soon residents of Kent will benefit from a 325,000 square foot project that combines a bus transfer station with public parking, retail and commercial space, and pedestrian and bicycle connections. Plus, the center also includes 13,000 square feet of rooftop solar panels, geothermal technology and other green building approaches leading to expected LEED certification.
It's a perfect piece of the Kent downtown redevelopment underway and a complement to nearby Acorn Alley, which features 12 new businesses and is growing. Other plans for a revitalized Kent include:
- A hotel and conference center
- The relocation of the Portage County municipal courthouse
- Corporate offices
- A mix of locally-owned and chain retail stores and restaurants
As one local business manager said, “Now people will have a reason to
wander around Kent and enjoy it--not just drive through.”
But those new opportunities require access--whether by transit or car or bike or foot--and that's where the Kent Central Gateway transit center comes in.
Rep. Tim Ryan, a strong advocate for this project, talked about the teamwork responsible for making this possible:
“This was a team effort. That’s what we do as citizens of this country. We get engaged and make transformational projects happen. It starts with citizens groups, city councils and others."
Well, this new project will certainly be "transformational." And the partnership Rep. Ryan credited makes this a terrific model for our TIGER program, where we've seen regional cooperation really make a difference in getting these things off the ground.
This project also means jobs.
Through the Recovery Act, roughly 7,000 construction workers are on the job full-time in Ohio, rebuilding roads, bridges, tunnels, airports, rail systems, and more. And, since the stimulus began, Ohio’s construction workers and laborers have brought home over $40 million in paychecks.
But things are just heating up because, in the short time between now and September, they’ll bring home at least $40 million more to support their families.
And these are construction jobs on projects that will help create even more jobs. For example, the 266 Kent Central Gateway construction jobs will lead to a transit center that will then sustain over 700 full-time jobs.
As Vice President Biden's economic advisor Jared Bernstein noted, “In each case you are creating a good job today, but you are also planting the seed for a new footprint that is going to create enormous opportunity.”
Jobs, a rebuilt infrastructure, and a downtown economy made ready for the 21st century. That's the Recovery Act working for America.
That's the Obama Administration's DOT keeping this country moving forward.
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