Port authority moves forward with bus routes

The Lawrence County Port Authority discussed Transit Center updates on Tuesday morning during its regular board meeting.

The board moved to approve the transfer of its existing large buses to the Tri-State Transit Authority (TTA), the organization that used to operate bus routes in Lawrence County for the port authority.

Mike Payne explained to the board that while they could have sold the buses, rather than donating them, donating the buses provides a variety of opportunities in addition to being more cost effective in the long run.

If the organization sold the buses, he explained, they wouldn’t actually make any money by the time they paid back the Federal Transit Administration for their contribution towards the initial purchase. Donating them to the Huntington based TTA, he explained, keeps the buses in the area as well as helping maintain “good relations” with the group.

The port authority will now be operating four different routes, or loops, with smaller buses. The first loop will connect Ironton to Ashland and the second will connect Proctorville and Chesapeake with Huntington, while loops three and four will connect those two loops, providing coverage for folks who need to move between the western and eastern ends of the county.

Payne said that one of the benefits of switching to the smaller buses was the increased flexibility of movement and ability to deviate from set routes.

“A lot of people are excited we’re taking them, basically, to the front door (of where they need to go),” Payne explained, noting the advantage over the old fixed routes of TTA.

He also commented on the progress with installing fare boxes and bike racks for the front of the buses.

“Our staff never had to do that before,” he said, “because TTA did it.”

But, he explained, they already have Marshall University students who are eager to utilize amenities like the bike rack so that they can get to Huntington and then bike to classes from there.

In economic news, Dr. Bill Dingus reported that while the existing leaseholders at the Transit Café in Ironton will be closing shop, a new tenant has been found for the space. The new tenant plans to expand on the café concept with a focus on coffee drinks and baked goods.

Dingus noted that the pads are also already down at the HarbisonWalker site, and construction is moving forward. There are also two new distributorships planning on taking up residence at The Point, with one looking at existing buildings and the other planning on constructing a new building.

Dingus noted that with the additional traffic, especially from HWI, the need to move forward on the traffic circle was imperative, and that they would like to have it completed by next spring when HWI trucks begin moving goods through the park.

Dingus also said that most of the demolition work on the Grandview property should be completed by August, but that they will be saving the restaurant building, the former location of the Whiskey River Saloon, for use by a future tenant.

Dingus also discussed other business and industrial opportunities, striking an optimistic note and stating that, “in all the time I’ve been here, the economy is the most aggressive I’ve seen it.”