CKCATS processed and delivered the 5310, 5311 and 5339 grants to the Office of Transportation Delivery in Frankfort on March 29. All grants were due on April 1 for the 2019/2020 FY. These grants provide operating funds for our day-to-day operations and capital funds to purchase vehicles.
Our Central Office renovation began in March. Our new office space will house five new offices and two ADA-compliant bathrooms. There will also be a conference room and storage area on the second floor. Additionally, the current office will be renovated to house four offices, new bathrooms and a large work and break area for our drivers. We are very excited about this large project. It’s estimated to take about four months to finish. The project is possible with the 5339b grant funding.
CKCATS has just applied for a new Lo No Grant (5339c) that promotes vehicles with low or no emissions along with hybrid vehicles. CKCATS is requesting a portion of the $85 million grant to purchase hybrid vehicles for each county. CKCATS has received a letter of support from the New Pioneers for a Sustainable Future group in Springfield for the grant. We are also asking our County Judges for letters of support.
The Fulton County Transit Authority conducted a safety simulator training session on March 30 at the Nelson County CATS Office. Utilizing funds from RTAP, thirty drivers received this additional safety training and the remaining 35 employees will receive the training in the fall. It’s a great opportunity for our drivers to be more safety conscious.
Spring View Hospital, in Lebanon, recently placed a bus wrap promoting the hospital’s ER on one of our buses. There has been a lot of attention on the bus and other businesses have inquired about promoting their own businesses. This is a new venture that CKCATS has undertaken with the help of our Executive Director, Hal B. Goode.