Young Life Capernaum Snohomish County received one of 10 vans awarded through the Van GO Program. The seven-passenger van will provide 721 trips throughout Snohomish County, transporting teens and young adults with physical and mental disabilities.
12 Non-Profits to Provide 26,000 Local Trips
Thanks to Van GO Program
Non-profit
groups from Mountlake Terrace to Stanwood will provide more than 26,000 trips
to foster children, the homeless, disabled veterans, low-income residents and
more thanks to Community Transit’s Van GO program.
Since the Van GO program began in 2000, the
agency has awarded 126 vehicles to a variety of 501c3 non-profit organizations
around Snohomish County. This year 19
groups submitted applications demonstrating how they would use the vehicles to
benefit people in their community. Community Transit awarded 10 vans this
year. In all,12 non-profit
organizations throughout Snohomish County will be able to provide trips to
their communities thanks to retired vanpool vans they received in a competitive
grant process from Community Transit.
This year’s winners will each receive a seven-passenger van
with about 100,000 miles. The recipients
include Catholic Community Services (Lynnwood), Community Resource Foundation
(Stanwood), First Baptist Church (Mountlake Terrace), Girl Scout Daisy Troop
#50529 (Mountlake Terrace), Goodwill Industries (Everett), Housing Hope
(Snohomish County), Mountlake Terrace Senior Center (Mountlake Terrace), Park
Ridge Community Church (Bothell), Seattle Area Youth for Christ (Monroe),
Senior Services of Snohomish County (Snohomish County), Village Community
Services (North Snohomish County), and Young Life Capernaum Snohomish County
(Snohomish County).
Transit Expansion
Continues in 2017 Proposed Budget
The Community Transit Board of Directors yesterday held a
public hearing on the agency’s 2017
Proposed Budget, which includes plans to further expand bus service by 6
percent next year. In addition, construction on the Swift Green Line stations and Seaway Transit Center will start
in the late spring.
The proposed $172 million operating budget includes $19 million in expected sales tax revenue over 2016 in the first full year of
Proposition 1 revenue collections. Voters approved a 2015 ballot measure to
increase transit service. This year, the agency increased service 14
percent, including two new routes that began operation in September.
The proposed budget calls for the purchase of 57
new buses, new bus service, construction of 31 Swift stations and the Seaway Transit Center, and several
technology projects including an upgrade of Community Transit’s wireless
communications system. The Board will consider approval of the budget on
December 1.
Community Transit
Receives WSTIP Safety Star Award
Community Transit has been named a Safety Star Award winner
by the Washington State Transit Insurance Pool (WSTIP) for reduction in claim
losses and overall accident claims over the past five years.
WSTIP commended Community Transit for having the greatest
positive difference between potential exposure based on mileage and actual
losses. Among all the state transit agencies WSTIP insures, Community Transit
had a share of 14.92 percent of the pool’s overall miles and only 8.79 percent
of the losses resulting in a difference of 6.13 percent. The next closest
agency in Community Transit’s size group had a 2.73 percent difference.
Pictured: At the November Board Meeting, CEO Emmett Heath (left) and Board Chair Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring (right) accepted the Safety Star Award from Tracey Christianson, Deputy Director of WSTIP.
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Employees Raise $40,502 for United Way Campaign
For the past 25 years, Community Transit employees have participated in an annual campaign to raise money for United Way of
Snohomish County. This year, their month-long campaign resulted in raising a
recording-breaking $40,502 dollars.
The campaign goal was
to raise $40,000 through a pledge drive and various events throughout the month
of October. Thanks to the generosity of Community Transit’s employees, 2016 saw
the most pledge forms completed in five years. In addition, an annual Silent Auction
and Bake Sale brought in $1000 over last year.
Pictured right: (top) The Silent Auction raised more than $6,000 dollars for the campaign; (middle) Two employees provided home cooked Indian food for two lunch buffets; (bottom) a bowling party brought out first-time bowlers, friends and family.
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Agency Achieves
27th Consecutive GFOA
Financial Commendation
Community Transit earned its 27th consecutive
Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the
Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the agency’s comprehensive
annual financial report (CAFR) for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2015.
The CAFR was judged by an impartial panel to meet the
highest standards of the program, including demonstrating a constructive “spirit
of disclosure” to clearly communicate the agency’s financial story.
Pictured right: 26 Certificates of Achievement adorn a wall in one of the agency's conference rooms.
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PSRC Releases Transit Integration Report
To highlight how the Central Puget Sound region's various transit agencies coordinate with each other, the Puget Sound Regional Council has released the 2016 Transit Integration Report.
The report discusses the regional fare collection system, ORCA, as well as scheduling efforts and multi-agency plans to align bus service with the expanding Sound Transit Link light rail network.
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If you have any questions, please email TheRouteAhead@commtrans.org.
 Emmett Heath, CEO
Community Transit
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