 What if the first thrill of your day is your ride to work? With land speeds faster than a Boeing 747 and no air drag to slow your speed, you could fasten your seatbelt in Fort Collins at 7.20 a.m. and arrive in Denver at 7.29 a.m. just nine minutes later with plenty of time to pick up a muffin and latte before you leisurely stroll through the front doors at work. Hi, I'm Diane Christ. I'm a candidate at large for Longmont City Council and I have vital information you need to hear. In 2017, the Colorado Department of Transportation submitted a plan to a global Hyperloop Challenge outlining a north-south route along our front range. Here is a diagram of that original plan. The route included spurs to Fort Collins, Longmont Boulder, and an east-west leg out the I-70 corridor for Denver to Vail. The route is planned far enough east to include transportation to DIA. CDOT's proposal was compelling and Colorado was awarded status as one of four first routes to be built in the country. The other three winning routes were Chicago, Miami, and Dallas, thrusting Colorado in the limelight as a significant player on the national stage. Now here is something important I need to call to your attention. In the past four years, the route map has changed and no longer includes a connection to Longmont Boulder. This is the updated route map. As citizens of Longmont, we need to be very concerned about this change. The Hyperloop will be the single biggest leap forward in transportation of this century. Not having a connection to the Hyperloop would be the equivalent of the railroad bypassing our town. It would kill our city. Let me tell you a little bit more about the Hyperloop. Using magnetic levitation, pods travel through a sealed above-ground tube at a speed of 700 miles per hour, sometimes called space travel on the ground. The experience is described as one of floating quickly to one's destination. Small capacity pods between four and 28 passengers make it easy to go direct to one's destination without having to stop at other stations along your trip. A video of the first human Hyperloop test can be viewed on my website chrisferlongmontcouncil.com under the question, what does it feel like to ride the Hyperloop? This video also explains the mechanics and technology involved in this high speed transportation innovation. Why is the Hyperloop important to my family and me? A way to have our cars and clean air too, this transportation solution is the answer to most of the problems Longmont is currently facing. Local traffic would once again become local, cutting out much of the pass through congestion in town. By greatly expanding the viable commuting area, families could live where they can afford to live, putting much less pressure on developers and city government to create affordable and attainable housing situations. City council can focus on creating walking neighborhoods that would bring back our village feel and insulate our small businesses. And as an extra perk, the Hyperloop will improve our air quality by reducing highway emissions by as much as one third. And Longmont, isn't it about time we planned a lasting solution to the problems we keep discussing but never really solve? Three different companies are currently perfecting this technology in a race they say will be ready for use in the next nine years. One competitor, Swiss Pod, recently announced plans to build a test facility in Pueblo where they will add a thousand jobs in the deep tech and high tech fields. As a business growth consultant, I lament the fact that neither our city council nor technology business sector acted to attract Swiss Pod to build their facility in Longmont. These are exactly the types of high-paid, high-skilled technology interests in which Longmont excels. So how do we make this work, Longmont? CDOT plans to build the Hyperloop with private investment funds. E470 was built in much the same way and has operated in the black. Longmont's involvement will be to partner on a local station without any increase or new taxes. Longmont already has funds earmarked for transportation. The big decision for you, Longmont, is electing council members who are willing to take us there. CDOT reports Colorado grew 50% in the last 20 years and will grow another 50% in the additional 20 years ahead of us. It's time for bold solutions. My name is Diane Christ and I am running for Longmont City Council at large. I appreciate your support on November 2nd.