Join Citizens for Modern Transit, St. Clair County Transit District, AARP in St. Louis and Metro Transit as they unveil the region’s latest “Transit Stop Transformation” Project – this time at the Belleville Transit Center, located at 718 Scheel Street in Belleville. The event will get underway at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 25, 2022, with formal remarks from Mayor Patty Gregory of the City of Belleville and project partners, followed immediately by a ribbon cutting. Attendees will then have a chance to explore the transformation and take part in the “Passport to Music on Metro” community celebration, featuring live musical entertainment and food trucks.
This project has transformed the concrete area between the bus bays and MetroLink entrance into an interactive, playful and engaging space boasting a vibrant-colored “Art Grows in Belleville” theme. The revitalized space features new custom bike racks, shade structures, a Belleville city logo sign, benches, planters and elevated window artwork created by award-winning painter and mixed media artist Genevieve Esson, whose work is also featured as part of the “Transit Stop Transformation” project at the Maplewood MetroBus Stop in Maplewood, Mo.
The “Transit Stop Transformation” project at the Belleville Transit Center is the third transformation of its kind in the St. Louis region. Transformations were also completed at the Emerson Park Transit Center in East St. Louis in August 2021 and at a MetroBus stop in Maplewood in June 2020. Each project showcases a deep understanding of and commitment to equitable development around transit, the possibility of play, the ability for creative interventions to produce long-term impact for residents of all ages and the need for collaboration to succeed. The partners work with stakeholders to build consensus and policies to move permanent development forward – and ultimately establish lasting developments at transit stops that are helping to improve safety and security, build ridership and increase activity around transit. Each project also reinforces the element of fun that comes with activating space and will be maintained via partner commitments to ensure sustainability for years to come.