HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 3City of Lakeville
Community & Economic Development
Memorandum
To: Mayor and City Council Members
Justin Miller, City Administrator
From: David L. Olson, Community and Economic Development Director
Renee Brekken, Heritage Center Recreation Program Coordinator
Copy: John Hennen, Parks and Recreation Director
Patty Dexter, Recreation Supervisor
Kati Bachmayer, Economic Development Specialist
Date: July 24, 2017
Subject: Review of Proposed Pilot Senior Circulator Bus Service
Representatives of the City of Lakeville, several of the Senior Housing projects in town, the
Dakota County CDA, Dakota County Communities for a Lifetime Program and DARTS recently
met to discuss the possibility of implementing a Loop Circulator Bus service for Seniors. There
are currently limited affordable options for transportation services for seniors in Lakeville.
Lakeville does not have Metro Mobility or Metro Transit regular local route service. The primary
service currently is Transit Link which does not provide a regular route service at a low fee such
as a Loop Circulator Bus would provide.
This type of service has been implemented in the Cities of South St. Paul, West St. Paul, and
Hastings. Attached is a copy of the brochure on the Hastings Loop Circulator Bus Service.
Courtney Whited, Director of Community Services & Transportation with DARTS will attend the
Work Session and give a presentation on how this service has been implemented in these other
cities in Dakota County.
The estimated cost of providing service one day a week is approximately $24,000. The service
would follow a designated route with designated stops. The goal would be to have a variety
of stops including grocery and other retail stores, pharmacies, restaurants and some of the
senior living facilities. The cost to riders would be $3 per day and riders could ride all day. No
riders would be turned away for inability to pay. The bus would run the same weekday every
week (i.e. Thursdays).
The City currently has $16,434 in available Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds
that have been designated for Senior Transportation Services. Staff would suggest that $12,000
of these funds be made available for a one-year pilot program of this service. A requirement
for the use of CDBG funds would be that users of the service would have to be at least 62 years
of age or meet certain income guidelines. Since these funds were approved for this activity
prior to 2015, the funds need to be expended by June 30, 2018. DARTS has also applied for a
$10,000 grant from AARP and is also attempting to secure funding from other organizations.
Council Action Requested:
Staff is seeking City Council input as to whether this, as a pilot program, you would like staff to
pursue. For the actual implementation of this type of service any formal agreements would
come back for Council approval.