DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit)

This week, we grew our family to five when we finalized the adoption of our three awesome kids. I know a lot of people in my professional network and life have been on this journey with us so I wanted to give everyone an update. We finally got to wave goodbye to CPS. David and I started this over four years ago and it has taken everything we have to get to this point. Thank you to everyone for your love and support. I would be absolutely remiss if I didn’t thank my awesome employer and bosses (I’m thinking of you Elizabeth Reich ) and coworkers for giving me the flexibility I needed sometimes to be able to do this. I was so happy that my amazing boss ( Jamie Adelman ) and close coworker ( Chelsea Monty ) were able to join us at the adoption ceremony because they were just as important to our success as almost anyone else. Employers don’t get much credit in this process but they should, and we should all encourage our employers to do whatever they can to support foster parents. David and I are so appreciative for your support. Our kids are amazing and will grow up with every advantage and ounce of love we can give them. And if you or your family are thinking about becoming a foster family - do it. It will be the most maddening, frustrating, challenging thing you ever do, and it is totally worth it. The foster system sucks (let’s be honest), but there are so many amazing people doing the right thing every day for the most vulnerable people in our communities. And they need your help. If you ever run into a state rep or elected official, make sure they know that the single most important thing that they can do is to support the betterment of the foster care system. Yes, more money, but also more accountability, more creativity, more social support.

Thanks to the Stacy team for helping make this project a success! Great example of using collaborative delivery to juggle the demands of a tight job site and phased schedule.

It’s early in the week, so let’s highlight a little creative destruction. A few months ago, our team was asked to improve the connection between Tyler/Vernon Station and the adjacent commercial and maker space known as Tyler Station. When the light rail station was built 30 years ago, the neighboring building served as a factory for the Dixie Wax Paper Company. Over the past decade, that facility has transformed into a vibrant hub—home to dozens of small shops, makers, coworking spaces, and other creative uses. Despite the activity on both sides, pedestrian connections between the station and the development were limited, with a block wall separating the properties. In collaboration with Tyler Station, we’re now demolishing a portion of that wall to create a stronger, more welcoming connection between the station and the surrounding community. In the coming years, we’ll build on this effort as we modify our platform and pedestrian spaces to support our new fleet. Making it easier for people to get where they’re going—that’s at the core of what we do in the transit world. Shoutout to Allen Smith for delivering on this effort!