Yesterday, Monday, June 24th, Wisconsin’s U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin announced $25 million in federal funds to reconstruct Appleton’s Valley Transit Center and build more affordable housing, and Ben discussed this today on Outside The Box.
The funds come from the “Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity” (RAISE) program, a bipartisan infrastructure law, and the goal is to build a more energy-efficient facility with additions such as secure bike storage, an Appleton Police Department substation, 14 bus bays; these are all in addition to the new housing and jobs that will be created.
RAISE grants are used to aid state, local, and Tribal governments with passenger transportation infrastructure projects. RAISE awards are funding various other projects such as the Bicycle and Pedestrian Swing Bridge in Sheboygan, the Oneida Transit Bus Garage in The Oneida Nation, and the Gateways to Opportunity Project in Beloit.
Senator Baldwin values economic growth while increasing safety and benefits for the working class saying, “The new Transit Center will help ensure everyone can get where they need to go safely, make public transportation more convenient, and put housing within reach for more Wisconsinites – creating jobs doing it all.”
Last week on Outside The Box, Ben and Erin The Intern discussed the importance of community-based societies as opposed to individual-based societies. I proposed that people from societies that can utilize public transportation and services and regularly interact with community members might feel more fulfilled and possibly happier as a result. Read about our conversation here.
I bring this up because I think investing in public transportation is exactly the kind of move Appleton, Wisconsin needs to make to build connections within the community.
Not only will this project create new jobs, but it will create a safer and more functional public transportation system in this growing area. Besides, with the growing costs of living, new affordable housing in the area and dependable public transportation definitely cannot hurt.
Ben agrees and shared a similar sentiment today on his show. If you are interested in what he had to say, click the player below and start listening at 22 minutes.
Mayor Woodford joined Hayley Tenpas on Focus Fox Valley to discuss what these changes will mean for the Appleton area. If you would like to hear their conversation, the episode is linked below.
[ Spreaker: Outside The Box ] [ Spreaker: Focus Fox Valley ] [ FOX11 ]
