Public transportation meeting set for Thursday

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PRINCETON — People interested in further developing public transportation in Bureau County are encouraged to attend Thursday’s meeting of the Bureau and Putnam County Transportation Partnership Group (TPG).
 
The group’s second meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday at the Prouty Community Building, 435 S. Main St., Princeton.

Laurie Anderson, TPG team communicator, said the goal is to have as many different groups represented at the meeting as possible in order to get an accurate idea of the transportation needs in Bureau and Putnam counties. Information has been sent to county, township and village officials, as well as other groups and individuals, such as health care professionals, clergy and other community leaders.

“We all need to work together to clarify many of the misconceptions about public transportation,” Anderson said.

Thirty-one people attended the first introductory meeting of the TPG on Jan. 14 at the Prouty Building. Leading the January meeting and discussion were representatives of the Interagency Coordinating Committee of Transportation (ICCT) Clearinghouse, a part of the Rural Transit Assistance Center at Western Illinois University. Jeff Dean, president/CEO of Gateway Services in Princeton, was appointed as contact person for the TPG.

The January meeting focused on learning about the Primer Process, which has its goals of filling in transportation gaps in rural Illinois, creating new transportation grants and maximizing moneys already in existence.

According to the minutes from the Jan. 14 meeting, Bureau County does have public transportation through Gateway Services and its Bureau Area Rural Transit (BART) program and through St. Margaret’s Hospital. Gateway provides 75 percent of public transportation with 18,000 one-way trips, while St. Margaret’s provides about 25 percent of public transportation.

As stated in the minutes, the ICCT Clearinghouse does not charge consultation fees for its services to Bureau County since ICCT Clearinghouse is funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The public transportation system will not raise local taxes, since the funding already exists, is set aside and just needs to be accessed through proper channels.

All persons, groups and organizations interested in public transportation for Bureau County are encouraged to attend Thursday’s TPG meeting, Anderson said.

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