A bus rider’s appreciation

To the editor:

I wish to express my huge appreciation to everyone who helped make Oct. 31 a historic day in the Mat-Su Valley. The previous week at the Alaska Transit Conference in Anchorage, I had offered my services as a bus tour guide to demonstrate coordination among transit companies to U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski. To everyone’s happy surprise she gladly accepted.

She planned to be in the Valley Oct. 31, so I worked around her schedule. After her comments to the Mat-Su College students and staff, we boarded Mat-Su Community Transit to pick up some Job Corp students, then transferred to a Valley Mover bus at the Trunk Road Park ‘n Ride. When we arrived at the Anchorage Transit Center, Lisa and I did a walk through the block-long building.

The purpose of our ride was to show how the three largest transit systems in Southwest Alaska coordinate with each other. A few adaptations were made to accommodate the senator’s schedule, which just happened to be on Halloween.

As we parted in Anchorage, Lisa Murkowski expressed her gratitude with, “I will never forget today. It was wonderful!” Then she gave me a bear hug, which I shared with the Mat-Su Transit Coalition on Nov. 1.

I want to express a huge thank you to Sen. Lisa Murkowski for taking the time to show her support for our local transit systems. It was an honor and a joy for me to spend the afternoon with her.

I also wish to express a big thank you to our Mat-Su Borough mayor, Larry DeVilbiss, for taking the time to accompany us on the MASCOT segment of the trip. His presence speaks volumes of his interest and support of local transit.

Like many bus riders, I do not always know all the behind-the-scenes work that goes on to make the entire transit system(s) work smoothly. I am learning so much.

A big thank you to Charolett Robinson of MASCOT, Robbie Wuitschick of Valley Mover, David Levy of the Alaska Mobility Coalition and Elizabeth Ripley and Sharon Scott from Mat-Su Mental Health Foundation. Thank you as well to the Job Corps students who were on the two buses, the photographers and all the folks in the entire entourage who were part of this historic event.

Please forgive me if I omitted someone.

Public transit will be more and more important in the future of our community, in our economy, ecology and the culture in which we live. One of the tourist publications at the Palmer Visitors Center had a section on the Mat-Su Valley titled “The Heart of Alaska.” I gave that to Sen. Murkowski as one of her souvenirs of the trip.

Rosemary Vavrin

Wasilla