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Trumbull commissioners approve new senior-citizen rides
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
Trumbull County commissioners Wednesday approved the distribution of $195,000 in senior-citizen levy funds to four companies to provide rides to senior citizens.
Among the reasons for moving the $195,000 from Trumbull Transit, the county’s public transportation service, to the four companies is to provide senior citizens with more companies to pick from and fewer situations in which rides are denied, said Diane Siskowic-Jurkovic, county senior levy administrator.
Officials hope the new system will be more efficient so that levy money will provide more services than now, she said.
The companies selected are All-American USA Taxi of Warren, $52,340; Garwin Inc. of Hubbard, $52,340; Comfort Car-A-Van of Youngstown, $52,340; and Country Neighbor of Orwell, $37,980.
Though all four organizations will provide rides inside and outside of Trumbull County, there are some differences among what they provide.
Comfort Care-A-Van offers mostly wheelchair rides and some rides for people who don’t use a wheelchair.
All-American USA Taxi and Garwin both provide rides to people who don’t use a wheelchair. It is essentially a taxi service, Siskowic-Jurkovic said.
Country Neighbor’s rides are for people who use a wheelchair and those who do not. Its rides are focused on people in the northern tier of Trumbull County, she said.
The $195,000 is intended to last through the end of 2019, but there is an option to continue the rides an additional six months on a month-to-month basis.
Siskowic-Jurkovic said a registration process for riders is underway. About 200 people have registered so far. All registered riders will receive information advising them of steps they should take to arrange rides.
Veterans and disabled people will still be able to get rides through Trumbull Transit after June 30, Siskowic-Jurkovic said. It is hoped that rides for senior citizens will return to Trumbull Transit at some point in the future, she said.
In addition to rides, the seniors levy also provides services such as homemaker care to help keep senior citizens in their own home.
The commissioners also approved advertising for bids for improvements to five streets in the Morgandale area of Howland with a $416,600 Community Development Block Grant. The project will include roadway construction, drainage improvements, installation of 14 catch basins and other work on Elmwood, Beechwood, Basswood, Thornwood and Ashwood avenues on the north side of North River Road near North Park Avenue. Howland is providing an additional $51,844.
The area frequently experiences flooding, and the roads have many holes and ruts, the Howland trustees wrote in a letter.
The roads are narrow, which makes it difficult and a safety issue for township workers, school buses and emergency services to use those roads. The project will provide turnaround areas so that vehicles don’t have to back up long distances to leave the neighborhood.