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Last week Transportation Executive Director Onlee Pallas told the county commissioners there is a possibility the agency may receive more state funding. She said the state is putting together a transit priority list for agencies that need to replace buses or have started facilities.

"We are one of four," she noted.

Last winter the federal government withdrew $300,000 that U.S. Representative Candice Miller had earmarked for the project, and that impacted the $60,000 in matching money from the state.

Pallas has down-sized from a $2.1 million project to $1.8 million.

"We were going to have storage for 20 buses. Now we are at 16. There are two spots in the maintenance bay if needed. The original bus wash bay was going to be the full width of the building. Now the room is cut in half. We have changed from a hip (peaked) to semi-flat roof, that is the biggest savings," she reported.

Pallas said when she took over the agency in 2000, there were 13 buses.

"Since then ridership is up 13%. We should exceed 100,000 riders this year. We are at capacity during peak hours," she reported.

Pallas said once the driveway into the property is completed they will schedule a ground breaking.

"We need to be finished in December. The $850,000 state infrastructure loan, the criteria is it was for projects moving forward enough to get done this year," she explained later.

When they lost the additional federal funding, the architects had to re-draw the plans and they had to put together a new budget.

"We may have to scale back further," she told the News.

"If it all falls into place we hope to put it out to bid in the next couple months." Pallas stated.

"One of my goals is to keep as much work local as we possibly can," she added.

The facility was to include the office, dispatch, and storage for all of the system's buses.

The 24,000 square foot facility is being paid for through previous federal funding and a $850,000 state loan. The plan was to pay the loan off with future grants. So far the agency has received almost $1 million in grant funding.

The facility will be built in Sandusky south of M-46 on Stoutenburg Road behind the Sandusky DPW.

The agency has been in the current facility, which is leased, for over 15 years. It is located in Carsonville, eight miles away from the county seat. Pallas said most of the work the agency does is in Sandusky and moving the facility there will save time and fuel.