SPOT in running for ITD grant
SANDPOINT — More good times are likely on the horizon for the Selkirks-Pend Oreille Transit bus system.
As the Idaho Transportation Department board approaches its May meeting to apportion end-of-the-year funds, the SPOT bus will likely carve off a juicy slice for future operation and capital expenses.
According to SPOT director Marion Johnson, she filed for a pair of ITD grants back in January. One encompassed about $300,000 worth of operational funding, and the other was a $90,000 capital granted intended to purchase another bus.
After finishing the grant applications, Johnson then had to pitch the proposals to the District Coordination Council.
Johnson used the system’s impressive statistics to persuade the council toward her point of view.
“Basically, you have to justify why you need the money you’re asking for in your budget,” Johnson said.
However, ITD board members will have the final say on the grant this month. Nevertheless, transportation authorities aren’t losing sleep over the upcoming meeting
“Our ridership has gone up so much, they can see that this is something we need in our community,” Johnson said.
The grants’ funding period will last from April 1, 2013, to March 31, 2014, allowing SPOT administrators plenty of time to plan ahead.
That freedom comes in part because the grant accounts for three-quarters of SPOT’s operating budget.
The grants do require match funding, and SPOT officials will look to the cities of Sandpoint and Ponderay for those dollars as they did in the past. The council members of each city will approach SPOT funding when it comes time to lay out budgets for the coming year.
The grants won’t be official until the ITD board decides one way or another. Johnson is confident, however, that the department will return a favorable reply. While she’s confident SPOT will remain a community staple for many years to come, the money guarantees continued service until 2014.
“We’re pretty well secure knowing we’ll have funding that far out,” Johnson said.