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Feb. 10, 2005
By JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS
Staff writer
Advancing age has robbed Lenora Wilmes of much of her eyesight, and these days she relies on a public transit bus
to get her to the doctor, to the grocery store, and to visit her friends.
"I just don't know what I'd do without it," said Wilmes, one of about 30 people who met Wednesday with Ottawa
County commissioners to support continued public transportation services.
The county board's Planning and Policy Committee has taken the first step toward a rural county-wide public transit
system.
A timetable prepared by the county's Planning & Grants Department shows that if a county-wide transit agency is
deemed cost-effective through at least two major studies the county would apply for Transit Agency Status in February 2010.
The first step would have the county take over administrative duties for two existing transit grants Rural Area Specialized
Services and Transportation to Work grants which help fund Harbor Transit based in Grand Haven, and Georgetown Seniors in
Georgetown Township.
The committee Wednesday unanimously recommended the full 11-member county board approve this move and set the five-year
proposal in motion.
Wilmes, of Port Sheldon Street in Hudsonville, said without the Georgetown bus service she would be homebound.
She also has mobility limits and needs the lift on the bus to ride, for which she said she is grateful. For Wilmes,
she is able to take the bus to the Georgetown Senior Center in Jenison, to have a hot meal and spend time with other people.
She's such a fan of public transportation, she told commissioners she is willing to serve on a transit study committee.
"I know how vital it is," Wilmes said.
Kathleen Newland echoed the sentiments. Physically handicapped for the past three years, the Jenison woman said that
without the transit service, she would simply sit at home.
"This has been a blessing for me," Newland said.
Newland talked of how the transit service "puts dollars back into the local economy," by taking people to
doctors, drug stores and many other businesses.
"It's not just a socialization service," said Newland, although she admits having made new friends people
she calls her "bus buddies."
Several other persons encouraged county officials to support existing transit services and explore a rural county-wide
system.
Dan Wedge, director of Allegan County's transit system, said he applauds efforts by Ottawa County leaders to take
a serious look at establishing a county-wide service.
"Allegan County was at this point seven years ago," he said. Years of study and planning led to launch of
the Allegan system in 2000.
Wedge stressed the value of public transit for the general public to get back and forth to work. The five-year average
ridership on the Allegan County system shows 60 percent of passengers made employment-related trips, he said.
Creation of a county-wide transit agency is expected to bring more state and federal funding to the area, say Ottawa
County officials.
But Commissioner Dennis Swartout warned about the potential financial burden of starting and maintaining a county-wide
rural transit system.
"I think we've got to be very careful here," he said.
Contact John Charles Robbins at (616) 546-4269 or john.robbins@hollandsentinel.com.
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