Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 13, 1994 TAG: 9401140365
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By STEPHEN FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Transit Manager Michael Connelly had hoped to purchase seven new buses this year to replace some 1976 models and others that were getting a bit ``long in the tooth,'' but federal appropriations will allow him to buy 14 new models, he told Blacksburg Town Council Tuesday night.
Connelly asked council members to adjust the Blacksburg Transit Department's budget so that local matching funds that had been set aside for new bus purchases over the next two years can be used now. The money was already being set aside in equipment depreciation funds set up when the buses were first purchased, so adding the money to this year's budget is only a rearranging of accounts.
With the new funding, the Transit Department's budget is bumped from $2,682,087 to $4,204,787. Some of that budget increase is attributable to added operating costs needed for payroll, fuel and repairs.
The federal funds - driven by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 - will amount to 80 percent of the purchase money, and will be matched with 10 percent from state and local funds
Connelly attributed the unexpected federal windfall to the combined asking power of 14 transit departments from around the state working together for the funding. Blacksburg jumped on board with the Washington Metro Transit Authority and departments in Richmond, Roanoke, Tidewater and elsewhere.
The new buses will replace aging ones that are less environmentally sound and more expensive to operate, Connelly said. All of the new models will be equipped with wheelchair lifts, where only three current models are. The Transit Department operates 29 buses and will look to purchase new ones again in 1998, he said.
by CNB