Council hopes to get funds from WRTA

The funding crunch should ease with the 2005 federal allocation.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- The Mercer County Regional Council of Governments still hopes to get the Western Reserve Transit Authority in Youngstown to agree to release at least $265,000 in federal funds for the Shenango Valley Shuttle Service.
WRTA and the Federal Transit Administration have indicated a willingness to release $240,000 for the shuttle service operations, but James DeCapua, executive director of COG, which runs the shuttle program, said more is needed.
He's asked WRTA to sign off on $265,000 to help fund operations this year and also is asking Western Reserve for $35,000 as a loan to pay for some capital items.
The shuttle program would repay the loan out of next year's federal transit allocation, he said.
No definite answer
WRTA hasn't given a clear response to the request, DeCapua said Thursday, adding that he plans to meet with WRTA officials today.
The Shenango Valley Shuttle Service was getting more than $400,000 a year in federal transit funds before the 2000 census showed a population decline that got Mercer County shifted into the Youngstown-Warren metropolitan statistical area for funding purposes beginning in 2003.
The change resulted in a decline in federal revenue.
The WRTA was getting about $2.9 million.
When the two regions were linked, the total funding dropped to just $2.7 million, DeCapua said.
A big part of the reduction came because the shuttle service's passenger miles weren't counted in the new funding allocation. As a rural service, it never had to report those statistics before, DeCapua said.
Those statistics have since been added to the mix and the FTA should be raising its 2005 allocation accordingly, he said, adding that the shuttle service should get about $350,000 next year.
Snow and ice removal
In other matters, DeCapua said COG will resubmit an application for a joint snow and ice removal project for the cities of Sharon and Farrell.
COG applied for $296,000 early this year to build a salt dome for the two cities to share and four plow trucks.
The application was rejected, but DeCapua said it will be resubmitted through the Shared Municipal Services program operated by the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
The scope of the project has been expanded to include the borough of Wheatland in the application, he said, noting that the borough needs to replace an old plow truck that will no longer pass safety inspections.
The amount of money being sought remains the same, DeCapua said.