Grant Improves Transit’s Bottom Line in Budget

Town and Country Transit board directors - including Applewold representative Chuck Nicely take a tour of one of the new fixed route buses received earlier this month. The buses were purchased through a $150,000 grant to replace the 10-year old opuses.

by Jonathan Weaver

Additional state grant funding caused Board members of Town and Country Transit to reconsider their fiscal year budget Wednesday.

The $1.5 million raised more than $75,000 due to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation leaders agreeing to give Town and Country Transit (TACT) more federal Asset Maintenance funding. The money can go toward fuel, tires, services and other supplies. All six of the Board members present approved of the revision.

General Manager Patti Lynn Baker said she was asked by PennDOT last month before a state transit authority meeting to state the case for TACT to receive the additional grant money, which was awarded.

“What they told us was, we could keep our little pot of money for a rainy day and they would actually give us the asset maintenance money from federal money and actually match it with their own state money – they gave us $133,000,” Baker said.

Local municipalities did have to ‘match’ more than $6,000 to receive the grant funding, but it was a mere-four percent of the overall and money was used that was ‘banked’ so municipalities did not have to revise their fiscal year agreements.

TACT would have received approximately $55,000 in asset maintenance grant funding should they not have received the $133,000.

Baker said the extra funding will help subsidize shared-ride expenditures, as well as help pay-off other bills.

“We’re very appreciative – PennDOT has been very generous, and with this asset maintenance money, the large payables that we see to the subcontractors should be paid off by the end of the next fiscal year,” Baker said. “For us to just have to pay our regular operating expenses in the shared-ride program as opposed to continually dig out for past-due invoices, I think would be a huge burden off the shared-ride program.”

Interim Manor Township representative Pat Fabian said he may be replaced at next month’s meeting by resident Steve Anderson.

Baker reported Ford City Borough President Lou Vergari is to represent that municipality, but was not at the monthly meeting yesterday.

Both men will be involved in the Board’s reorganization at 4PM June 20.

Howard Jack Latest to Resign as TACT Director

Former Manor Township Supervisor Howard Jack - shown on left with General Manager Patti Lynn Baker during a Town and Country Transit Board of Directors meeting in March - has resigned. He was the Manor Township representative for the past 13 years. Jack did not seek re-election last year as Supervisor of Manor Township, completing 36 years in that office.

by Jonathan Weaver

A former Manor Township supervisor resigned his seat on the Town and Country Transit Board of Directors last week.

Howard Jack, who served Manor Township for 36 years before he chose not to run for re-election in November 2011, informed current supervisors by letter of his resignation in April.

According to Secretary Jill Davis, Jack resigned due to health reasons.

Jack was on the Town and Country Transit board for 13 years. He was the only Manor Township representative in the municipality’s history with the transit authority.

While the seven other municipalities (Applewold, East Franklin, Ford City, Ford Cliff, Kittanning, Manorville, and Armstrong County as a whole) joined with Mid-County Transit Authority in the 1970’s, Manor Township joined in December 1998.

Town and Country Transit General Manager Patti Lynn Baker wished Jack well after she was notified of his resignation.

“Mr. Jack has been a very-large supporter and always available when we needed checks signed. He has been very faithful in his attendance to the Board meetings, (where) you can’t conduct business unless you have a quorum.

“We really appreciate and thank him for his dedicated service to public transportation here in Armstrong County for the last 13 years,” Baker added. “We will really miss him on our Board.”

Supervisor Pat Fabian volunteered to represent Manor Township at the May 16 meeting, but encouraged other residents to serve on the Board – which meets at 4PM the third Wednesday of each month at their North Grant Avenue, Kittanning headquarters – regularly.

Any Manor Township resident interested should contact Davis at 724-763-9215.

The first Manor Township “local match” payment will be paid this October, while the remainder is paid in April 2013.

Jack is the latest local representative to resign. Former Ford City Borough Council President John Lux resigned in July 2011, while former Kittanning Borough Councilman Thomas Close resigned in January.

Neither municipality has appointed a permanent Board replacement. Kittanning Borough appointed 4^th Ward Councilman Richard Reedy as a temporary representative in April, but discussion on a regular attendee was tabled at last night’s meeting.