WILDER RANCH STATE PARK, CA – Santa Cruz County Friends of the Rail & Trail today presented the first-ever Rail & Trailblazer awards to Grace Blakeslee, Senior Planner for the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, and Andy Schiffrin, Administrative Analyst for the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors District 3. The Rail & Trailblazer award recognizes individuals who are champions in the visionary effort to establish the Rail and Trail project in Santa Cruz County.
“Our community has been working for more than 20 years to bring the rail and trail vision to reality. The Rail & Trailblazer award has been established to recognize those who bring focus, energy, skill and, above all, a tenacious commitment to the vision for the project,” said Matt Farrell, Board Chair of Santa Cruz County Friends of the Rail & Trail. “Grace Blakeslee and Andy Schriffin are true Rail & Trailblazers, especially for their dedication to the ensuring North Coast segment becomes a reality for our community.”
Awardee: Grace Blakeslee
Grace earned a Rail & Trailblazer Award due to her unshakeable spirit and capacity to develop solutions. For Segment 5 of the Rail and Trail project, she delivers the same constructive energy that she has demonstrated throughout her work on the entire project. Grace has a well-known reputation for focusing on opportunities and ensuring forward progress. Grace understands that the work she is doing on the Rail and Trail project will echo for generations.
Awardee: Andy Schiffrin
Andy Schiffrin is a master navigator of complex processes. Andy has blessed the North Coast segment of the Rail and Trail project with this essential skill, which was critically important due to the fact that the segment is extremely complicated. The segment impacts county, state and federal lands, as well as key stakeholders including residents, agriculture, recreational and environmental interests. Andy always connects the dots. He does his homework, he doesn’t draw attention, and he focuses on outcomes and positive outcomes.
About Santa Cruz County Friends of the Rail & Trail
Founded in 2002, Santa Cruz County Friends of the Rail & Trail is a volunteer powered non-profit organization that advocates for transforming the 32-mile Coastal Rail Corridor into a trail and rail transit system that increases choice, reduces environmental impact, and supports a vital economy. Learn more at www.railandtrail.org, as well as on social media.
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