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February 9, 2005
Record-Eagle/Douglas TesnerNancy Sheffer lost a large portion of her freedom when bus service stopped serving her home in Benzie County. Now she hopes that the Benzie Bus Initiative’s efforts will return some of that freedom. Benzie ponders bus initiativeProperty tax would help fund serviceByRecord-Eagle staff writer INTERLOCHEN - Nancy Sheffer relishes her independence. She'll enjoy more of it if a new venture in Benzie County materializes. Sheffer is legally blind and works in the food service department at Traverse City West Junior High School, where she arrives early for her shift each day and often waits for a ride home. Since she is unable to drive, her transportation is provided by her husband, whose own work hours fluctuate. "I need a ride so I can get to work," she said. "If I had a bus, I wouldn't have to wait." Currently there's no bus that Sheffer, who lives in Interlochen, could ride daily to work. But proponents of the Benzie Bus Initiative hope to change that. The effort would expand Benzie County's limited curbside dial-a-ride bus service to create countywide coverage. It would also connect with express bus routes traveling to Traverse City and Manistee, with direct links to Frankfort, Benzonia, Thompsonville and Lake Ann. Benzie County residents will vote this year whether to help fund the proposed Benzie bus system with a property tax, estimated at between 0.2 and 0.3 mils. About half the system's estimated $425,000 annual budget would come from state and federal sources, with the rest supplied by county taxpayers and bus riders. Proposed fares are $2 per ride for the public and $1 per ride for senior citizens and people with disabilities. If approved, the new bus system could be up and running by early 2006. The Benzie County Human Services Collaborating Body, the Benzie County Council on Aging, the Michigan Land Use Institute and the Northern Michigan Alliance for Independent Living spearheaded the Benzie Bus Initiative. Representatives of those groups will talk about it from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Feb. 16 at The Gathering Place in Honor. Organizers want to hear from "anyone and everyone" who might use public transportation, said Linda Davis, the Benzie County Council on Aging's executive director. "This isn't just for tomorrow, it's for down the road," Davis said. Proponents believe enhanced bus service would strengthen job opportunities, increase access to health care and provide greater independence for seniors and people with disabilities and low incomes. Those are especially important in Benzie County, where residents tend to be older and have lower household income than the state average. Public transportation would serve people of all ages, supporters said. Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville supports the effort. It would benefit employees and guests, said Gretchen Swanson, human resources administrator. Getting and keeping good employees fuels good guest service, and buses could help guests get there. "We see so many good job candidates and for us, a big part of it is how are they going to get to work," she said. "Our feeling is very strong that it would be a very good thing." The Benzie system would also tie into the Bay Area Transportation Authority's bus system, which serves Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties, and Manistee County's transit system. A bus travels daily from Manistee to Traverse City along U.S. 31, but does not stop in Benzie. Sheffer said a bus system would let her run errands, pick up groceries, travel to doctor's appointments and do other everyday tasks on a more flexible schedule. "I think we could really use a bus out here," she said.
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