PERRYSBURG – The shape of a future
transit system in the city is becoming clearer.At Tuesday’s Health, Sanitation and Public Utilities
committee meeting, members approved a slate of recommendations offered by the Perrysburg 4
Transportation Committee, a body working to promote transit in the city."It does seem to be very
important for the voters to understand the services that are going to be provided," said
Councilwoman Maria Ermie, who attended the meeting. "I think that we need to state what they
are."With the failure of a 1.45-mill levy to support public transportation in November, City
Council and the administration have been working to re-establish transit through a .08-mill levy which
will appear on the May ballot.If that levy is successful, Perrysburg Transit – the name of the service,
which operated briefly this fall under the aegis of Ride Right LLC – is expected to begin almost
immediately, funded by monies from the city’s coffers which would be paid back by some of the levy
funds. The levy would not bring money into the city until 2014, and would raise just shy of $460,000 per
year during its five-year run.The new service would include ADA-paratransit and call-a-ride offerings as
well as morning and evening commuter routes.The schedule as presented would call for 129 operational
hours per week, spread between a full-time vehicle working 99 hours and a half-time vehicle taking on 30
hours. The full-time vehicle would be available for call-a-ride service Monday trough Friday from 6 a.m.
to 9 p.m.; Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The half-time vehicle would
offer a total of six hours a day Monday through Friday for commuters, and be available on weekends only
as needed.A $1 fee for a one-way trip is suggested.Answering a question from transit supporter and
Perrysburg 4 Transportation member Gil Lutz, HSPU Chair Todd Grayson noted that the vehicles, which are
to be new, will include one shuttle and one minivan."The beauty of the system," said Ermie,
"is as we learn more and more about the needs" of riders, they can be flexible and change the
system to meet their needs.In other business, the committee heard from Public Utilities Director Timothy
Warren that the city plans to advertise bids for Phase 3 of the Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion in
November. The entire project is expected to cost more than $10 million, and it is hoped that work could
begin early in 2014."In this environment we’re in right now, it’s a good time to build,"
Warren said.Additionally, the committee heard from Public Services Director Jon Eckel that more than
14,000 toters for the upcoming automated refuse system have been delivered, and the new refuse trucks
are expected by the middle of next month. They plan to use a nearby subdivision to train personnel on
the new system, which is to be premiered in April.