An outpouring of support for the Cincinnati Streetcar gathered at
Rhinegeist Brewery in Over The Rhine for July's Streetcar Social, hosted by
Cincinnatians For Progress. The group organized a monthly meetup for transit advocates to mingle and discuss current events happening in the city. The success of
last month's meeting garnered the attention of
Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, who reached out to be the featured speaker for the latest Streetcar Social.
“We’ve decided to name the maintenance facility the Center of Advanced
Streetcar Technology, or COAST for short,” Mallory quipped to an amused audience, as he commented about the anti-streetcar group with
the same acronym.
The Mayor's presentation was complimented by visuals of progress, including
utility relocation along the route, the interior design of a
CAF-manufactured streetcar, and facility renderings. He explained how Cincinnait's streetcar will have state-of-the-art technology that will be the first of its kind to operate in North America. With the
construction contract officially signed with Messer, citizens can expect rail to be laid in city streets starting this fall.
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| Rendering of the streetcar maintenance facility to be built on Henry Street. |
Among the crowd of over 200 streetcar supporters in attendance were City Councilmembers
Chris Seelbach,
Wendell Young, and
Laure Quinlivan, as well as representatives for
Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls and City Council Candidate
Mike Moroski.
Cincinnatians For Progress selected Rhinegeist for their July meeting,
as it is one of the latest businesses to open along the streetcar route.
Formerly the
Christian Moerlein brewery, this location is one of many abandoned historic structures to be rehabilitated due to the promise of the rail transportation.
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| A crowd gathers at Rhinegeist for the Streetcar Social |
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| Cincinnatians For Progress Co-Chair Derek Bauman greets guests at Rhinegeist |
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| Prior to his presentation, Mayor Mallory sat down with guests to answer questions about the streetcar |
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City Councilmember Chris Seelbach chats with
Michael Moore from Cincinnati's Dept. of Transportation & Engineering
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UrbanCincy technologist, Travis Estell, and City Councilmember Laure Quinlivan
listen to The Mayor's presentation at the Streetcar Social
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City Councilmember Wendell Young waves hello at the Streetcar Social
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| Streetcar supporters mingle before Mayor Mallory's presentation |
