"The Red Line will make transportation easier
for my children and my children's children."
Terrell Talbert, Age 17, 12th GradeLast week, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) held closing ceremonies
to mark the end of their second successful year running their Red Line internship
program. This year, the program engaged 18 students from three high schools
along the Red Line Corridor: Edmondson/Westside High School, Woodlawn High
School and Patterson High School. Celebrations were held at each of the schools
to honor the students' accomplishments and were attended by many friends
and supporters.The program's mission is to reach out to the Red Line community and involve and
enrich students who live along the proposed transit line. Interns spent about half
of their time in the office and the other half in the field. They got behind-the-
scenes tours of several MTA facilities, including Light Rail Yard and Maintenance
Shop, Metro Operations Control Center, and the MTA Police Training Facility. The
interns also visited existing transit-oriented development centers, like Hunt Valley,
Mondawmin, Owings Mills and Camden Yards. These visits helped them to see,
first-hand, how transit has influenced development in the region and envision
how the Red Line can encourage development in their communities.This year's students included 11th graders Malika Leach, Aaron Jones, Trevon
Ball and Anton Christian and 12th graders Brittany Dent, Monique Smith, Terrell
Talbert, Brandon Mallory and Jazmine Scott, all from Edmondson/Westside High
School. Eleventh graders Alex Artis, Xaria King, Kyle Wills and tenth grader
Ciera Watkins participated from Patterson High School. Along with professional
architects and engineers, Lyneisha Jackson and Myeisha Bell, college assistants
from Morgan State University, helped oversee their assignments."The internship gave the Edmondson community a
chance to be more active. It was a good idea to give the
youth the opportunity to inform other young kids about
the Red Line because they will use it in the future."
Monique Smith, Age 17, 12th GradeIn addition to MTA, three consultant firms sponsored and mentored students.
Rummel, Klepper and Kahl, Parsons Brinckerhoff, and Whitman Requardt &
Associates, all of whom currently work on the Red Line Project, offered time
and resources to help students create maps, assess community resources,
and propose land use changes to spur economic development.The 18 interns worked four days a week for six weeks during July and August.
This program and others to come are the result of a partnership with Baltimore
City's Red Line Office, MTA, and Baltimore City Public Schools.
STATION DESIGN IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Nominations are still being accepted to serve on the Red Line Station Area
Advisory Committees (SAAC)! You can participate in the process by volunteering
to serve on your area SAAC. For more information and to sign up online, visit the
MTA Red Line website.Nominations are open until August 25.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Please join us at one of Baltimore's many festivals to learn more about the
Red Line project. Representatives will be on hand to answer your questions.Fest Africa August 14-15, 2010
Sunday Farmers Market Under I-83 September 12, 2010
Baltimore Book Festival September 24-26, 2010
