FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 19, 2007

CINCINNATI TRANSIT CENTER WINS ARCHITECTURAL AWARD
Government Square receives prestigious AIA Ohio honor

CINCINNATI - Michael Schuster Associates, Inc., a Cincinnati-based architectural design firm, has won the high-level Honor Award for Urban Design and Planning by the Ohio Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for the Government Square transit center in downtown Cincinnati.

MSA was the architectural firm that worked with the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, which operates the Metro transit system, and engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas on the $9.3 million renovation of the downtown transit center.  Government Square was completed in 2006.

The AIA Ohio Annual Award Program is highly competitive and MSA was bestowed one of only eight honor awards given to architects and designers throughout the state of Ohio. MSA received the award at a black-tie banquet during the AIA Ohio Convention in Columbus, Ohio in late September.

"The new Government Square is a vital part of the downtown renaissance," said Metro CEO Michael Setzer. "The new design offers our customers and the entire downtown community improved convenience, safety and accessibility."

The benefits of the Government Square redesign include improved safety, convenience and accessibility for people with disabilities.

The new square features:

• Larger shelters on the main square anew shelters under construction on Fifth, Walnut and Main streets
• Safer bus boarding area
• New Fifth Street sidewalk for pedestrians crossing between Walnut and Main
• Consolidation of more routes for easier transfers
• Security camera system
• New information booth, staffed weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Journey Through History panels, chronicling the history of the Government Square area and transit in Cincinnati

The $9.3 million project was funded primarily through federal and state grants, including $4 million in federal funds and $3.7 million from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and its Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) process.

Located on in the center of downtown Cincinnati's business district, Government Square is Metro's primary transit hub in downtown Cincinnati and the largest in Metro's system. More than half of Metro’s total service is routed through the area. The Government Square area serves 15,000-20,000 customers per day.

SORTA operates both Metro fixed-route and Access paratransit services in the Greater Cincinnati community, providing about 22 million rides per year. To learn more, visit www.go-metro.com.

MSA (Michael Schuster Associates, Inc.) offers comprehensive design services in architecture, planning, interior design, and environmental graphics. MSA's services are focused in the areas of governmental, educational, retail & hospitality, urban design and corporate interiors for local and regional clients. The MSA staff is comprised of a group of diverse and innovative licensed architects, interior designers and architectural interns who work to create tangible environments that are a living extension of each client's brand values. To learn more about MSA, access their web site at www.msaarch.com.

# # #