TRANSIT: Center a home run

I was thrilled to get a sneak peek a the new transit center last week. Transportation is one of the real keys to economic development for the area. If we give people the opportunity to access jobs or educational opportunities, we have given them a chance to make a better future for themselves and for their children.

When I worked in the Transit Department, I was often able to sit with people on the bus and talk to them about their lives. The majority of them were people who worked in the service industry washing your dinner dishes, cleaning your hotel room, or bagging your groceries and they just needed the ability to be able to get to work. With rents skyrocketing and child care being extremely expensive, cars are becoming a luxury for families who live on very little and who are one paycheck from being homeless every day. Public transportation is a major key to helping people to access needed area resources.

Thank you to the county commissioners, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, the cities of Coeur d’Alene, Dalton Gardens, Hayden, Huetter and Post Falls for all that you do to help our people and provide public transportation.

KIMBERLY HOBSON

Hayden