During a recent meeting, Starkville aldermen voted to give more than $200,000 to help MSU receive a federal grant to extend shuttle services throughout the city.
A public hearing, which is required as part of the application process for the grant, was held Thursday. In attendance were several aldermen, employees of support services and several others who were involved with the project.
Mississippi State University’s Support Services is applying for the Rural General Public Transportation Program section 5311 grant, which could provide funds for the establishment of a public shuttle transport system in Starkville.
Paul Welch, the director of Support Services, oversees the current shuttle system on campus, which runs a fleet of 11 shuttles and one van.
The federal government gives the state of Mississippi about $6 million or $7 million a year for use in supporting public transportation. The state government set up the grant, which cities may apply for through the Mississippi Department of Transportation. The university has already applied for this grant once.
“Last year the grant was denied. This year the approach is different,” Welch said.
Development of the MSU/Starkville transportation system began as a project for Mississippi State architecture students at the Carl Small Town Center. They received a grant during the 2003-2004 school year to study the details of having a transportation system.
“We let them do the study-which took place in the fall semester, and we got the information in January,” Welch said.
The university found out about the grant a few months before the deadline to apply. Welch said the grant application required a lot of work and research, and the time limit left Support Services unprepared. He added that this year, he and his department have taken ample time to prepare and research.
The Small Town Center research revealed that the initial start-up cost of the transportation system will require $1.15 million-with $600,000 going toward renovating a central hub building for shuttles. The cost will also cover purchasing five new shuttles at about $100,000 each.
If Starkville receives the grant, the university and the city will only have to pay 20 percent of this cost, Welch said.
The average operating cost of this type of system will be about $737,000, and the grant will cover 50 percent. The university will provide its annual shuttle budget to cover the part of the remaining cost, and the city will contribute about $120,000.
This will cover the maintenance of shuttles, payroll and upkeep of the system, Welch said.
“This year is the first year that the city has really committed money to this,” Welch said.
“There’s certainly a need out there and that’s what we’re trying to address,” Mike Harris, transportation coordinator, said.
Aside from providing transportation for those who don’t have automobiles, this project could also cut down on traffic congestion and eventually serve students on campus.
The goal is for people to begin riding the shuttles as an alternative to driving cars, Harris said.
“Students and faculty members are always struggling with parking problems,” SA President Adam Telle said.
He added that about 10 percent of MSU students don’t even own a car, so this will be a great benefit to them. It will also provide a way to build community.
“That’s what we’re talking about when we are trying to close the gap between Starkville and the university,” Telle said.
The application for the grant is due April 22, but the necessary components are already prepared. At this point, after the research and preparation, the application requires continuing readjustment until the deadline, Harris said.
“Numbers change daily; there’s different aspects that come to our attention,” Harris added.
Welch said the university will know in August if the community will receive the grant. If the state government awards the grant, the plan will be implemented in fall 2006.