In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:

• What's Happening at PLN?
  • Purple Line NOW Awarded Beyond the Rails Grant!
  • We Appreciate All of our Donors
• Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
  • Black History Month
  • Tree Planting Information
• Construction Updates and Project Features
  • Upcoming Closures to Note

Share This Newsletter

Please feel free to share this newsletter - no permission from us needed! You can always find a link to our newsletter on our Purple Line NOW website which makes it easy to share with your friends, neighbors, constituents, customers, and employees. 

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN?

Purple Line NOW Awarded Beyond the Rails Grant!

Purple Line NOW was delighted to learn that our popular Envisioning the Purple Line Forum series has been chosen to receive a grant from the concessionaire, Purple Line Transit Partners (PLTP)!

In a press release issued on January 31, 2024, the concessionaire explained what motivated them to launch this grant program which will help organizations like ours provide valuable services to the greater Purple Line community, “As a long-time member of the community itself, PLTP sponsors the Beyond the Rails community grant program as a way to give back to communities in which PLTP, in partnership with MDOT MTA, is building the Purple Line and through which it will operate the system for 30 years after opening.”

We are honored to be in the company of five other outstanding programs awarded in this inaugural round of grants, all providing valuable services and education to our community! Doran Bosso, PLTP Chief Executive Officer, remarked, “We’re excited to provide financial backing to these six remarkable groups, which work tirelessly to make our local communities better places to live, work and play. Choosing these awardees from the numerous worthy applications we received was not an easy task.”

Purple Line NOW is thrilled to have the opportunity to continue our Envisioning the Purple Line series this year and have already started preparations for the next event, so watch this space!

This round of grantees are:

1. Art for Education on Reuse and a Sustainable Environment, Community Forklift, Edmonston
2. Envisioning the Purple Line Forum Series, Purple Line Now, Silver Spring
3. Greater Riverdale Thriving Health Fairs, The Metamorphosis Community Project, Riverdale
4. Practical Entrepreneurship Education Program, WETATi Academy, Riverdale
5. Purple Line Walkability Community Outreach, Carole Highlands Neighborhood Association, Takoma Park
6. Youth-Led Community Festival on Flower Avenue, Healing Practice Counseling, Takoma Park

For those who wish to apply for the next series of grants, they will be selected in mid-2024:

Starting with the six grants just awarded, PLTP will award 12 Beyond the Rails community grants annually (i.e., six groups every half-year). The next group of awardees is slated to be selected in mid 2024. PLTP encourages community groups that either did not apply for the initial group of grants or were not selected to apply by completing the two-page application. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis.

Beyond the Rails grants are valued at between $1,000 and $3,000 and community-oriented groups in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties are invited to apply. Successful applications will support organizations or neighborhoods (as opposed to individuals); provide benefits to a community adjacent to the Purple Line corridor; and must be related to the following categories:

• Community – Supports the overall wellbeing of neighboring communities (e.g., safety, health, recreation, education); and
• Environment – Enhances or protects the natural environment.

All of us here at Purple Line NOW are grateful to PLTP for this award that will extend our ability to bring timely and valuable information to the community through our Envisioning the Purple Line series of fora, which are always free to anyone wishing to attend. We will have photos to share from the award ceremony soon!

We Appreciate All of our Donors

With your help, and with the help of an awesome donor who matched your donations, we were able to raise a whopping $9,305 during our fall campaign. Every donation, small and large, that came in throughout the holiday season had us cheering and so very thankful to have such amazing supporters. To our matching donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, we thank you for helping us spur others to give, as well. We simply could not have been as successful without that motivating nudge.

Our need is ongoing - we operate on a budget between $20,000 and $25,000 each year, so if you missed the matching campaign, please know that your donation any time of year in any amount is welcomed and necessary for us to continue our work. You can easily donate by clicking the Purple "Donate" button below.

Thank you from all of us here at Purple Line NOW!

HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR

Black History Month

During Black History Month, the Purple Line recognizes the SafeBus Company. Formed in 1926 by 13 Black jitney operators, the company provided transportation to underserved black neighborhoods in segregated Winston-Salem, NC. (@PurpleLineMD Twitter feed)

Tree Planting Information

The Woodside Civic Association continues to encourage the planting of street trees in the neighborhood and some of the information from their recent meeting may be helpful to anyone in Montgomery County, regardless of which neighborhood you live:

• Click on the link for a detailed list of species the County will plant.
• Reforest Montgomery supports the planting of trees on private property. For information click on the link below or contact Mia Rothberg at 301-495-4614.
• Tree Montgomery also assists with trees on private property.
• Street Trees on state roads -- this includes 16th Street and Georgia Avenue -- is under the jurisdiction of the State Highway Administration. If you are interested in helping to get trees planted on 16th Street, please let the Woodside Civic Association know. While nothing can be done in the vicinity of the Purple Line work or near the 16th and Georgia Avenue intersections, funding may be available to make 16th Street greener between these areas.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES & PROJECT FEATURES

Upcoming Closures to Note

In case you haven’t heard about these significant closures, we wanted to highlight a few that may affect you:

Red Line Stations

There will be a temporary closure of the Red Line stations between Silver Spring and Glenmont over the summer as part of the upgrade to Silver Spring station that will allow direct access from the top of the Silver Spring Transit Center.

According to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), “Beginning in early June, Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring and Takoma stations on the Red Line will be closed. The closure will continue through early September with the possibility of reducing the work zone to allow Takoma Station to reopen prior to the end of construction.”

We know the temporary closure will be a headache in the short term, but ultimately will benefit current users and future Purple Line riders.

Rock Creek Trail

From the MDOT MTA website: On or about February 21, 2024, the Rock Creek Trail will be closed for approximately four weeks at the location of the Purple Line Bridge. This closure is required to allow crews to remove diversion piping, rehabilitate Rock Creek under the bridge, and make repairs to the trail. Work may take place in multiple shifts from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. as needed to complete the work before the spring environmental restrictions take place. A signed detour has been established around the closed portion of Trail. Please follow all signs and avoid entering into the work zone.

STAY CONNECTED

Get Connected

Make sure you are signed up for timely alerts from Purple Line NOW via our Twitter and Facebook pages, and at our website Purple Line NOW.

In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:

• What's Happening at PLN?
  • Celebrating Dr. Glenn Orlin
  • Thank YOU!
• Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
  • Tree Planting Information
  • ACT Organizes Efforts to Fully Fund Transit
  • From Our Friends at the Purple Line Corridor Coalition
• Construction Updates and Project Features
  • MDOT MTA Purple Line Website
  • Purple Line Status Report

Share This Newsletter

Please feel free to share this newsletter - no permission from us needed! You can always find a link to our newsletter on our Purple Line NOW website which makes it easy to share with your friends, neighbors, constituents, customers, and employees. 

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN?

Celebrating Dr. Glenn Orlin

Last Tuesday, January 23, 2024, county elected officials, civil servants, activists, and other friends gathered to celebrate Council Senior Legislative Analyst Dr. Glenn Orlin's retirement after 33 years of service on the Montgomery County Council staff. Elected officials and a range of colleagues paid tribute to Glenn and his contributions as a provider of independent analysis to the Council. Former County Executive Ike Leggett credited Glenn as being a long time sparring partner and gave him credit for turning Ike into a Purple Line supporter as Ike transitioned from Council Member to County Executive. 

Glenn's public service goes even further back those 33 years, however. He joined the Montgomery County Department of Transportation one week before the announcement that the Georgetown Branch right-of-way would be up for sale. That right-of-way, which traverses between Silver Spring and Bethesda, was the genesis of the Purple Line.

During remarks at the party, Glenn gave a touching review of the many people inside and outside the government with whom he worked over the years. With regard to the Purple Line specifically he praised Purple Line NOW founder Harry Sanders as well as the work by the Action Committee for Transit that began before this organization was founded for building a constituency for the line through relentless public engagement. Barbara Sanders recalls Harry and Glenn having, "what seemed to be regular Saturday morning calls about the status of the project and how to keep it moving forward, always encouraging each other that it would, indeed, be completed."

All of us here at Purple Line NOW thank Glenn for his many years of service and wish him all the best on his new adventure!

Thank YOU!!!

We don't think there are enough exclamation points to convey how thrilled and grateful we are for the response we had to our matching campaign which ended on December 31! And, even after the ending date, supporters have sent donations in to help us keep our eye and elbow grease on our work. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

With your help, and with the help of an awesome donor who matched your donations, we were able to raise a whopping $9,305! Every donation, small and large, that came in throughout the holiday season had us cheering and so very thankful to have such amazing supporters. To our matching donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, we thank you for helping us spur others to give, as well. We simply could not have been as successful without that motivating nudge.

Our need is ongoing - we operate on a budget between $20,000 and $25,000 each year, so if you missed the matching campaign, please know that your donation any time of year in any amount is welcomed and necessary for us to continue our work. You can easily donate by clicking the Purple "Donate" button below.

Please take a look at the donors below who gifted Purple Line NOW over the past twelve months. 

Thank you from all of us here at Purple Line NOW!

FEATURED DONORS

The Malloy and Sanders Family

Tina, Don, and Jessie Slater

Purple Line Corridor Coalition

SUPPORTING DONORS

Ralph Bennett

Eric Talbot

ENGINEERS

Elizabeth Barbehenn

Jose Galdamez

John Robinson

Ben Ross

Nancy and Rob Soreng

CONDUCTORS
Anne Ambler and John Fay, Nicholas Brand, Brian and Bee Ditzler, Dr. Troy Jacobs and Dr. Kawsar Talaat, Gerrit Knaap, Greg Madden, Anita Morrison, Christine Scott and JohnR Llewellyn

COMMUTERS
Gus Bauman, John Carroll, Paul Goldman, Peter Gray, Margaret Greene, Stacy Kaplowitz, Jodie Kulpa-Eddy, Jay Miller, Ray Nosbaum, Kathy Porter, William Strang, Jerry Withers

PASSENGERS
Theo Brown, Tina Curry, M. G. Diamond, Patrick Dougherty, Elaine Emling & Michael Jenner, Patrick Flaherty, Lucile Freeman, Kay and William Gilcher, Richard Gollub, Jennifer McAuliffe, Judith Morenoff, Mark Perlman, Mark Posner, Tom Quinn

HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR

Tree Planting Information

The Woodside Civic Association continues to encourage the planting of street trees in the neighborhood and some of the information from their recent meeting may be helpful to anyone in Montgomery County, regardless of which neighborhood you live:

• Click on the link for a detailed list of species the County will plant.
• Reforest Montgomery supports the planting of trees on private property. For information click on the link below or contact Mia Rothberg at 301-495-4614.
• Tree Montgomery also assists with trees on private property.
• Street Trees on state roads -- this includes 16th Street and Georgia Avenue -- is under the jurisdiction of the State Highway Administration. If you are interested in helping to get trees planted on 16th Street, please let the Woodside Civic Association know. While nothing can be done in the vicinity of the Purple Line work or near the 16th and Georgia Avenue intersections, funding may be available to make 16th Street greener between these areas.

ACT Organizes Efforts to Fully Fund Transit

Action Committee for Transit is coordinating a write-in effort to provide input to the state to fully fund WMATA. You can use this helpful form to find your state senator and provide support for increasing the transit budget.

From Our Friends at the Purple Line Corridor Coalition

PLCC has released a 2023–2027 Housing Action Plan, which includes seven core actions that will serve as a guide for the HAAT over the next 4–5 years. In the document, you’ll see ways to help more people and communities build and retain wealth through homeownership; you’ll see an expanded set of legal protections and resources to support tenants and amplify their voices; and you’ll see ways to connect the benefits of new homes and mixed-use development to the needs and aspirations of communities along the Purple Line. 

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES & PROJECT FEATURES

MDOT MTA Purple Line Website

If you haven't visited the MDOT MTA Purple Line website in a while, you are in for a treat -- they've refreshed the website and added a whole bunch of new features to their newsletter, including station renderings! The carousel of images on the website is reason enough to take a gander.

Purple Line Status Report

In the January 2024 MDOT MTA report to the Maryland General Assembly, Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and House Appropriations Committee, we thought the following graph might help understand where particular segments are in terms of completion. If you are interested in reading the full report, you can find it here.

STAY CONNECTED

Get Connected

Make sure you are signed up for timely alerts from Purple Line NOW via our Twitter and Facebook pages, and at our website Purple Line NOW.

In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:

• What's Happening at PLN?
  • Happy New Year!
• Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
  • Please Share With Your Baltimore Friends
• Construction Updates and Project Features
  • Our Top Ten Purple Line Stories of 2023!

Share This Newsletter

Please feel free to share this newsletter - no permission from us needed! You can always find a link to our newsletter on our Purple Line NOW website which makes it easy to share with your friends, neighbors, constituents, customers, and employees.

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN?

Happy New Year!

The wait is over! Our annual Top Ten List is below, so keep on reading!

But, first we want to let you know that we will have the final results of our matching campaign for you in the next edition of Purple Line NOW News. In the meantime, we want to thank EVERYONE who donated during the campaign! We are astounded by the generosity that abounds in our Purple Line NOW community and grateful to all who support us in so many ways. 

Our need is ongoing, so if you missed the matching campaign, please know that your donation any time of year in any amount is welcomed and necessary for us to continue our work. You can easily donate by clicking the Purple "Donate" button below.

Thank you from all of us here at Purple Line NOW!

HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR

Please Share With Your Baltimore Friends

On behalf of the Baltimore City House Delegation’s Transportation Subcommittee, Delegate Robbyn Lewis invites you to the City for All Forum on January 27, 2024. Let’s envision a transportation future that is healthy, accessible, reliable, sustainable and equitable for all! This first-of-its kind public event is open to all residents of Baltimore city and metro region. The vibe will be positive, respectful, forward-looking, optimistic and open-hearted. Participants can join in-person or virtually.

Pre-registration is required. Click here to sign up and share your vision!

DATE: Saturday 27 January 2024
TIME: 11am – 2pm
VENUE: Morgan State University, Earl G. Graves School of Business Auditorium, Rm. 104
ADDRESS: 4100 Hillen Road, Baltimore, MD 21218

We all want a transportation network that delivers fast and reliable access to jobs, school, health care and recreation for all, regardless of age, race, income or physical ability. We can have this! Learn about planned improvements, like the Frederick Douglass Passenger Rail Tunnel and Mondawmin Transit Hub Upgrades. And lend your voice to make even more projects possible - join us!

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES & PROJECT FEATURES

Our Top Ten Purple Line Stories of 2023

As we have been doing since Purple Line NOW News debuted, our team gets together to look at the top stories that made our list for the past year! Without further delay, here are the Top Ten Purple Line happenings of 2023, in no particular order, that landed on our radar over the previous twelve months:

1) Throughout the Purple Line corridor, an iconic visual of progress has begun to pepper the landscape -- TRACKS! Over 1,500 linear feet of track has been laid in a variety of areas, including at the Operations and Maintenance Facility. After so many months of underground utility relocation, track installation is one of the many signs that the Purple Line is well on its way to opening day!

2) You may have seen the news regarding Gov. Moore's announcement regarding cuts to make up for a deficit in the transportation budget. We were pleased to note that those cuts will not have immediate implications for Purple Line construction, but finding a sustainable funding approach is critical for the larger health of transit in our state and larger Metro funding challenges.

3) Although the Talbot Avenue Bridge is slated to open very soon, we were delighted to see a ceremonial walk across the bridge between the Lyttonsville and Woodside communities back in November. When the bridge opens to the public, the event will surely be near the top of the Top Ten list!

4) Did you know the underground utility relocation phase of building the Purple Line is one of the largest utility relocation efforts in the country? While underground utility relocation isn’t nearly as fun to write about as hoisting bridges, we understand how important it was and excited to hear during the Community Advisory Team meetings this fall, they are nearly complete!

5) This fall we learned, in a delightful sign of progress, that station canopies are being installed! Station canopies will provide shade and shelter at most of the stations and truly bring home the vision set out in the artwork we have been eyeing for years. The first to go up was at the Riverdale North Station (which will also be the first station to be completed.)

6) Not all happenings are good news, unfortunately. One of the biggest stories of the year happened in July when MTA and PLTP requested approval from the Board of Public Works for a “modification to the Purple Line Public-Private Partnership (P3) Agreement to formally extends the contractual deadline for achieving Revenue Service Availability to Spring 2027.”

7) Want a breathtaking sign of progress? One of the most visible signs of progress occurred in January when the multi-use pedestrian bridge over Connecticut Avenue was installed during the wee hours of the night. According to the Purple Line Team, the 190k-pound structure was placed at 3 a.m. while most people slept!

8) The Operations and Maintenance Facility (OMF) is up and running and fully operational. Soon, the facility and the testing tracks will welcome the new rail cars waiting to be delivered!

9) Blasting began and the final depth of 130 feet was reached for the Bethesda elevator shaft back in the spring of 2023.

10) For 2023, we found the uptick in construction across the Purple Line corridor one of the most exciting things to see after a long year of gearing up! Presently, there are 60 active construction sites with over 1,100 workers bringing the project to life. MTA reports that the project is over the halfway point at 58% completion. Want to see the progress in photos?! Here’s a terrific video that captures the sensational work being done throughout the alignment.

As we look forward into 2024 for even more signs of progress -- rail cars arriving at the OMF, bridges opening, more canopies installed -- we are incredibly excited to inch our way toward taking that first ride!

STAY CONNECTED

Get Connected

Make sure you are signed up for timely alerts from Purple Line NOW via our Twitter and Facebook pages, and at our website Purple Line NOW.

There are just a few hours left in our TRIPLE matching campaign!

With time running out, this will be our final ask for 2023: Until the stroke of midnight (unless we reach our goal first), all gifts to Purple Line NOW will have TRIPLE the impact thanks to a generous donor who has offered to increase their match of your gift 2-1 in an effort to get us over the top of our goal of $6,000!

All gifts, of any size, are welcome and will help us close the significant gap in our budget, but time is truly running out on this offer. If you can consider a donation to Purple Line NOW, this is a great way to make your donation s-t-r-e-t-c-h!

Thank you to EVERYONE who has jumped in to help -- every penny you have donated will be used to continue our mission of writing, publishing, and sending our bi-weekly newsletter, hosting our annual (and sometimes twice a year!) forum series, and continuing our advocacy work with elected officials, the concessionaire, the state, and other transit organizations. We also provide liaison services to help those of you with questions get in touch with the folks who have the answers.

We are SO grateful to each of you.;

You can see all of our donors on our website. If you do not see your name here, we hope you might consider a donation to Purple Line NOW this weekend. 

In case you missed our previous newsletters, we would like to share a few words from our Board President, Ralph Bennett about why we are asking and why it is so critical that Purple Line NOW continues our work.

Dear Friends,

I am writing to you to highlight our low bank balance and the urgent need to raise funds to continue our important work. As you know, Purple Line NOW rarely holds special event fundraising, instead we rely on our donors and supporters to come through for us to assist when our financial needs outweigh our revenue.

At our recent quarterly board meeting, our Treasurer reported that our current bank balance is dangerously low and that we are at risk of being unable to continue working with the public to broaden our advocacy efforts and achieve our goals. We cannot afford to let this happen.

That is why I am asking for your help. Every donation, no matter the size, will help us continue our outreach to the community via our widely read bi-weekly newsletter, advocate for issues facing the Purple Line and beyond at the local, state, and federal levels, and continue hosting the very popular community webinars on a regular basis where we bring experts and industry leaders together to discuss all things Purple Line along the corridor.

If you or your organization have not donated in the past year, I ask you to consider a donation to Purple Line NOW at this time. All donors are listed on our website for a year following their donation. A very generous anonymous donor has offered to match all donations during this campaign, beginning today through the end of the year, or until our goal of $6,000 is reached, so your help will count twice as much this holiday season!

Your support will make a real difference in our efforts to close the significant gap in our budget and ensure our work continues until opening day of service.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you for all you do for us and for our community. Happy New Year!

Purple Line NOW
https://www.purplelinenow.com/