Amber Has a Posse

Durango Multi Modal Department Adds 2 New Hires!

Amber Blake (middle)

flanked by Deven Meininger (left) and Wade Moore (right)

Until a little over 4 years ago, and after some prodding, some at City of Durango confidently assured the cycling community that we didn't have need for a Bike/Ped Coordinator. Then in May of 2008, after an enlightening community-wide Bicycle Summit, Durango was named a Silver-Level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. And from that effort, the Advocacy Partners presented a list of Multimodal Transportation Recommendations to a welcoming City of Durango and La Plata County. At the very top of the list was the need to hire a Bike/Ped Coordinator. Then lo and behold, less than one year later, Amber Blake was hired as Durango's first Multi-Modal Transportation Coordinator in April of 2009.

Amber started her new job with the City of Durango by diving right into the many transit, bike and pedestrian issues that make our roads and transportation systems better for all users. After almost 3 years of existing as a one-woman department, her hard work and strong personal aspirations for the Multi Modal Department has been rewarded with the addition of 2 new support postions within her Multi Modal Department to assist her and allow the acceleration of further improvements. To start 2012, Amber now has two new employees - Deven Meininger, Durango's new Multi Modal Specialist (hired with the help of a FTA Mobility Management Grant) and Wade Moore, Durango's new Multi Modal Assistant (a benificiary of restructuring within the department). And well, that leaves Amber as the Multi Modal Administrator with the additional responsibility of overseeing the Parking Division. Though with all our great transportation options coming together, we like to think of parking as a Multi Modal Transition Zone. So here's to great things in Durango!