New Pinellas transportation chief Tim Garling to speak on July 10

The public is invited to meet and hear Tim Garling, new director of the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), at the Downtown Neighborhood Association’s (DNA) General Meeting on Thursday, July 10, 2008, at Sunshine Center, 330 Fifth Street North, St. Petersburg, beginning at 7 p.m. The meeting is free, and parking is available at the Center.

Prior to moving to a downtown home in St. Petersburg, Garling directed the transit agency in Portland, Oregon. Called TriMet, the Portland transportation system has been highly acclaimed around the nation as a model for other cities. In addition to bus service, TriMet includes a 33-mile long light-rail operation for which Garling was manager prior to directing both bus and rail operations. Earlier in his career, he was with the New York City Transit Authority where he managed operations for a subway line.

Locally and nationally, expensive fuel costs have led to increases in ridership for public transit systems. Simultaneous budget cuts for virtually all government agencies, such as PSTA, mean that Garling will be faced with balancing higher demand for bus service with a decreasing supply of that service.

In addition to discussing ways to meet that challenge, Garling will comment on bus rapid transit (BRT), how PSTA fits into the regional transportation plan, and, of particular importance to the environment of downtown St. Petersburg, long range plans for removing the bus waiting area from Williams Park. Following his formal presentation, audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions.

DNA president Marilyn Olsen also plans to ask for a report from the DNA committee focused on the Tampa Bay Rays proposal for a new waterfront stadium on the site of Al Lang Field. The committee is chaired by DNA board member and attorney Peter Belmont.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association is bounded by Tampa Bay on the east, Martin Luther King, Jr., Street on the west, and 5^th Avenues North and South, extending down 4^th Street South to 11^th Avenue South, encompassing the USF campus and nearby residences.

Like all neighborhood associations, DNA represents the interests of neighborhood homeowners and residents. DNA also recognizes a special obligation to work toward keeping downtown as an attractive, safe place and active cultural, educational, business, and social center for all city residents and visitors.

DNA dues are $15 per year and include a newsletter sent to members, a regularly updated online newsletter, opportunities to work on committees dedicated to improving life in downtown St. Petersburg, and four general membership meetings per year with speakers on topics of interest featured at each.

For more information on the Downtown Neighborhood Association, please visit www.stpetedna.org.