TRUMBULL COUNTY Bus system plan to be reviewed
The money would be deducted from WRTA's federal funding.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- Staff of Eastgate Regional Council of Governments will review Niles Mayor Ralph A. Infante Jr.'s plan for a Trumbull County transportation system.
Eastgate's funding allocation subcommittee, which includes representatives of Mahoning and Trumbull counties, will meet at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 14 to hear the staff's findings.
"I'd like to have my board take action on this in January," said John Getchey, Eastgate executive director, at a subcommittee meeting Monday at the agency's new offices.
For new system: Infante wants a portion of the federal transportation dollars allocated for the two counties to be used for a new demand-response system, in which people call and set up a pick up and drop-off time, in Trumbull County.
The Youngstown-Warren area receives about $2.56 million in federal transportation funds. Western Reserve Transit Authority gets that money. Infante wants the subcommittee to recommend to Eastgate's Technical Advisory Committee that the Niles-Trumbull County plan gets $248,200 of the federal funds.
He presented his plan to committee members Monday.
Trumbull County commissioners have agreed to contribute $120,000 for transportation next year, and Niles, Cortland, Howland, Liberty, McDonald, Vienna and Weathersfield each intend to kick in $1 per resident for a total of $194,939.
It's ultimately the Federal Transit Administration that will decide if Niles has met all of the requirements for a public transit system, but Eastgate's general policy board dictates what the city may apply for in federal transit funds.
"We have a need for demand response in Trumbull County," Infante said. "A lot of people need it. We have a lot of elderly."
A concern: Jim Ferarro, WRTA director, and attorney Alan R. Kretzer questioned whether the plan meets the requirement of a long-term local funding commitment.
Youngstown residents pay a property tax to make up the local match for WRTA's federal funds. Ferarro referred to a similar plan in 1999 when Eastgate agreed to set aside about $600,000 in federal transportation money for a Trumbull County system. FTA rejected the plan of Trumbull Area Coordinated Transportation Agency, saying the agency wasn't eligible.
That $600,000 which had formerly been designated for WRTA was lost to other areas. There's a chance that if Eastgate sets aside $248,200 for Niles' plan and the FTA rejects it, that money also will be lost.
"There's a very good chance," Ferarro said. "It's already happened once."
Some committee members questioned the need to set up a new system rather than utilizing WRTA to expand its service in Trumbull.
To seek bids: Infante said the city would seek competitive bids to provide the transportation once it's up and running, and WRTA could submit a bid. Trumbull officials encountered roadblocks when they previously asked for cooperation on a transportation system, Infante said.