VERO BEACH — Indian River County’s GoLine and Community Coach bus services recently moved into its new administrative and bus parking facility on April 23 at the Indian River County complex at 4385 43rd Ave.
“The GoLine and Community Coach services are an example of how a public-private partnership can cost-effectively and efficiently deliver services to our community,” explained Karen B. Rose Deigl, President & CEO of Senior Resource Association.
Senior Resource Association, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, is contracted by Indian River County to operate the transit system, which has increased the number of trips provided within the community by 250 percent since 2007.
Comprised of 61 buses, GoLine provided 978,861 trips running 15 routes, six days a week, during 2011.
Community Coach, a door-to-door service made by appointment for eligible county residents, provided 45,000 trips on weekdays during the same period.
In July of 2009, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded Indian River County an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant in the amount of $2,281,044 for the design and construction of a new transit administration and bus parking facility.
“The ARRA grant was a one-time award that covered the complete construction cost of the new facility, which replaced an outdated facility that was no longer capable of supporting the needs of a rapidly growing transit system,” Phil Matson, IRC MPO Director, stated.
The new administration facility is the first green-certified building constructed by Indian River County. Florida law requires all government buildings constructed after July 1, 2008, to be of an energy-efficient and sustainable design.
To achieve green certification, the transit facility was designed to the energy efficiency and sustainability standards established by the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC).
In addition to using energy efficient systems for heating, cooling, and lighting, the new facility was also constructed of mostly recycled and recyclable materials and entirely of materials made in the U.S., per the Buy America (1982) and Buy American Acts (1933) that were requirements of the grant.
Joseph W. Schulke, P.E. of Schulke, Bittle & Stoddard, LLC. led the building project team comprised of Kenneth R. Lebron C.A.G of Caribeño Architectural Group, Jason Fykes of Barth Construction, Lynn Williams IRC Facilities Manager, and Chris Murphy of CivilSurv Design Group, Inc., Project Administration Consultant.
In addition to operating the county’s transit system, Senior Resource Association provides recreational, cultural, and educational programs for active older adults, assists seniors and their families in finding resources, and delivers quality, professional services that meet a senior’s individual needs.
The nonprofit organization is recognized as the lead agency in Indian River County for home and community-based services for older adults.
For more information about Senior Resource Association or learn how to schedule a Community Coach trip, visit www.SeniorResourceAssociation.org.
For information about GoLine routes, visit www.GoLineIRT.com.