By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
An official decision has yet to be made, but it is looking like the future of public transportation in Crawford County may be changing.
The county commissioners met with Crawford County Council on Aging, Seneca County Agency Transportation (SCAT), and Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Tuesday to discuss the possible changes to the county’s public transportation system. The commissioners are working against the clock to make a decision as grants for the 5310 Specialized Transportation Program and the 5311 Rural Transit Program are coming due at the end of the July and the designators need to be selected by August.
Depending on the decision made by the commissioners, another agency, such as SCAT, could be selected as the designator of the Rural Transit Program while Council on Aging would continue its service of the elderly and disabled through the Specialized Transportation Program. The other option would be to allow the Council on Aging to operate both programs, though the county would forgo additional operating funds if it handled both grants.
Currently, Council on Aging serves the community by offering transportation to the elderly, disabled, and the general public. Though the agency has provided excellent service, as noted by the commissioners and ODOT Public Transit Manager Skip Dunkle, the fact remained that it had 1,100 denials for rides last year compared to SCAT’s 22 denials for rides. The agency served 32,000 people last year with 11 vans, a large number of riders being seniors or disabled persons who scheduled rides earlier and earlier each time.
A study is currently underway in the county on how to make the transportation better, but Tuesday offered the chance to have the two agencies most likely to be involved in this collaboration together for a meet-and-greet.
Mary Habig, Executive Director of SCAT, said public transportation is like a jigsaw puzzle: you simply have to get the pieces to fit together.
“What we do in Seneca County is we do demand-response,” Habig explained. “They schedule their trip, whether it’s to work, kidney dialysis, chemo, hair dresser, grocery store . . . we will take them. Usually we schedule two days out at the minimum and we just put the puzzle together and link the trips together.”
There is not yet a plan in place for how another agency would operate within the county – that will be dependent upon the results of the survey and how the commissioners decide to use the funding available – but Habig suggested having vans stationed in Bucyrus and Galion and possibly in Crestline and New Washington.
“The 5311 funding is for anyone that lives within Crawford County,” Habig reaffirmed. “Because people choose to live in Crawford County, they shouldn’t be denied transportation.”
Galion Mayor Tom O’Leary expressed concern for employees who worked the second or third shifts that oftentimes needed a ride, but would not be serviced by the typical hours of the public transportation system.
Habig said the funding only goes so far and conveyed doubt over feasibility if there was not a strong demand. She countered that, however, with the statement that the commissioners could choose a combination of routes, such as combining demand-response with fixed routes.
Crawford County Partnership Executive Director Gary Frankhouse indicated that a number of groups in the county were interested in providing funding for second and third shift routes.
If the commissioners decide to designate an agency other than Council on Aging for the 5311 Rural Transit Program, vehicles not available for disposition would be transferred to that new agency. According to Council on Aging Director Cassie Herschler, that could be four buses, including three brand new ones that have yet to be delivered.
Macie Legg, 5310 program coordinator, said ODOT could assist with revenue to beef the Council on Aging’s fleet back up.
“We will take care of Crawford Council on Aging,” she stated. “They will get their vehicles, they will rebuild their capital, and they will be able to provide that service.”
“Everybody at this table cares about Crawford County,” Habig added. “We’re not swooping in. We were approached.”
She added that the proposal would still have to pass before SCAT’s Board of Directors, which will meet next week. Council on Aging’s Board of Directors will meet this week to discuss the matter.
“It’s not that they (Council on Aging) had issues,” Dunkle said. “They’re doing a great job, don’t get me wrong. Everything that . . . Council on Aging has been doing is correct; it’s the percentage of ridership that they can’t control. It’s the resources – they just don’t have it.
“I think that’s kind of been lost in this process – I don’t want that to get lost. They are doing a good job. If you decide to keep it, they will still do a good job. I’m not concerned about that.”
Rather, Dunkle believed, it was adjusting the system to better fit the population. It would also put more buses and dollars in the county.
ODOT hinted that they would like to see a decision as soon as possible, which was echoed by Council on Aging and SCAT, both who need to put the applications together to get the grants.
“We were waiting on, I think, to talk a little more with Mary and the Seneca County group,” Commissioner Steve Reinhard said about the lack of a decision so far. “We want to make sure they would be willing to work with our Crawford County group. We have quite a real concern with our transportation in Crawford County from the employer aspect.”
Later in the day, the commissioners indicated they were favorable to the collaboration, but would await approval from Council on Aging and SCAT Boards of Directors first.
If the commissioners selected SCAT as the 5311 Rural Transit designee, the agency would not take over until January. Council on Aging is set to finish out the year as the county’s transportation provider; it would continue on providing service for seniors and disabled persons.
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