OFFICIAL DEDICATION CEREMONY HELD FOR THE WOODLANDS WATERWAY TROLLEYS

Participating in the official ribbon cutting for The Waterway Trolleys were, from left:

Alan Clark, Houston-Galveston Area Council; Les Tarrance, TCID Director; Sarah Stephens, Congressman Brady’s Office; Lyle Nelson, The District; Kemba DeGroot, TCID Director; Senator Robert Nichols; Margie Lucas, The District; Barry Goodman, The Goodman Corporation; John Macbeth, The District; Alex Sutton, The Woodlands Development Company; Nelda Blair, TCID Chairman; Rev. Ed Robb, TCID Director; Vicki Richmond, TCID Director; State Representative Rob Eissler; Frank Robinson, TCID President. Standing, in back: Lloyd Matthews, TCID Vice Chairman and Peggy Hausman, TCID Director.

Marking the official roll-out of The Woodlands Waterway Trolleys, a special dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony was recently held at Town Green Park in The Woodlands.

The trolleys provide a new form of transportation throughout The Woodlands Town Center free of charge for residents, business professionals and visitors.

Several community leaders and dignitaries were on hand for “Breakfast on the Woodlands Waterway Trolleys” to cut the ribbon and take trolley rides touring the Town Center District.

“We are delighted to officially debut The Woodlands Waterway Trolleys, which adds a charming and effective mode of getting around in the exciting and vibrant Town Center District,” said Frank Robinson, President of TCID. “We encourage the local community and visitors to the area to hop on board and experience the convenience of the trolleys, and in time, we plan to add more trolleys in response to their anticipated popularity.”

Riders can catch a ride on the air-conditioned trolleys during the daily service hours of 11 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. The route stops will be made at the Community Center/South Montgomery County Library, Town Green Park, Market Street’s Central Park, The Woodlands Mall south entrance, and Woodloch Forest Drive at Ring Road. The trolleys will also operate along The Woodlands Waterway Ò with stops at Landry’s Seafood House and Anadarko Petroleum Corporation as well as The Waterway bridge at Woodloch Forest Drive, Waterway Avenue, The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center’s south entrance along The Waterway, and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion’s south exit along The Waterway. In addition to these dedicated stops, the trolleys will make stops for pedestrians along the route.

According to Robert Heineman, vice president of planning for The Woodlands Development Company, “The Waterway Trolleys are a culmination of multi-year efforts to provide an urban-pedestrian environment to The Woodlands Town Center which sets The Woodlands apart from most other downtown areas. The trolleys provide an alternative to vehicles which enhances mobility for those who live or work along the corridor of The Woodlands Waterway ®.”

Nelda Luce Blair, Chairman of TCID’s Board of Directors, added, “The running of the trolleys is much more than just a ride around the Town Center.  It means that our area has developed to the point that visitors need to move around it en masse.  It means that the area’s success has grown to the level of being a real destination point.  And, it also means the beginning of a true transportation system for Town Center, and maybe beyond Town Center.  We urge everyone who shops, dines, lives or plays in Town Center to take a ride on our beautiful trolleys.”

The trolleys are a two-year pilot project made possible by a partnership between Town Center Improvement District and the Houston-Galveston Area Council. The Council is a voluntary association of local governments and local elected officials in the 13-county Gulf Coast Planning Region. At the end of the two-year period, organizers will assess ridership data and consider adding an additional year.

Alan Clark, MPO Director for the Houston-Galveston Area Council, noted, “The transportation policy council certainly is happy to be working in partnership with The Woodlands and the Town Center Improvement District to see this innovative and very helpful new service provided in The Woodlands. We believe it gives The Woodlands a whole new dimension of transit service. They’ve had excellent park and ride service and have been very focused on making it a very livable, walkable, and bikable community. And now they’ve added a local transit service to help people reach even more destinations and have an even better experience as they have a place to work, live and shop.”

Barry Goodman, President and CEO of The Goodman Corporation, explained, “The initiation of trolley serviced for The Woodlands Town Center is an example of cooperation between local stakeholders including the Houston-Galveston Area Council, The District, as well as federal and state agencies. This formula of cooperation has proven very successful for Town Center and The Woodlands as a whole, toward increasingly improved mobility for the people who live, work and play in our community.”

For more information about The Woodlands Waterway Trolleys, contact The District at 1-800-272-0039.