Ozark Regional Transit board talks grant details

SPRINGDALE -- Cities in Northwest Arkansas will not help pay for Ozark Regional Transit's new administration and operations center, Joel Gardner, the transit system's executive director, said Thursday.

He was answering a question from Peter Nierengarten, who represented Fayetteville at the transit's board meeting.

Upcoming meetings

The Ozark Regional Transit board will have its initial 2019 budget meeting at its Nov. 29 meeting. Officials are planning on finalizing the budget by the Dec. 13 meeting.

Source: Staff report

Ozark Regional Transit officials and board members discussed details of the $2.9 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration's Buses and Bus Facilities Infrastructure Investment Program. It will pay for the new administration and operations center.

The transit agency is using 3.5 of its 10 acres as the required match for the grant, Gardner said.

Board members asked if money was needed for the match.

"There will not be a need to come to us with what the cash equivalent of what that land value is once you've entered construction, and you won't be asking any of the cities to help make up that portion?" Nierengarten asked.

"No, sir," Gardner said. "That's part of the reason why I really pushed to apply for this."

This is the third year Ozark Regional has applied for the grant.

There was $2 billion requested nationwide for the $360 million available through the grant, Gardner said. The transit was the only Arkansas organization that received money.

Tom Kieklak, board attorney, said he was unsure if there would have to be a monetary match to the grant if Ozark Regional were to move its facility.

"I don't think the grant is tied to an exact location, but I'm not certain of that," he said, explaining that is the only potential issue he could foresee.

The 10,000-square-foot administration and operations center will be built between the fleet and maintenance building and the current administration center at 2423 E. Robinson Ave.

The 4,500-square-foot, two-story administration building will be torn down and turned into a parking lot, Gardner said. The building was constructed in the 1970s and has been added on to.

Ozark Regional will operate in its current building until it can move into the new facility, which should be in the middle of 2020, he said.

The project is in a visible Springdale location, said Melissa Reeves, board member representing Springdale.

"Having a beautiful building on that road, I think the public will appreciate that," she said.

Board Chairman Mike Lanier praised Gardner for his hard work and leadership over the past year and a half after a fire destroyed 20 buses in the transit's fleet in January 2017. He referred to a $3.6 million federal grant Ozark Regional Transit received in April to replace some of the buses.

Ozark Regional received eight new buses in January. They were purchased with $114,000 from an insurance settlement and two federal grants of about $360,000 each. The new buses cost about $120,000 each. The transit used a fleet of loaned and borrowed buses to maintain service through most of last year.

NW News on 09/28/2018

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