Four County Foundation, consultants set a series of October meetings to talk needs
TRI-CITY AREA — The Four County Community Foundation (4CCF) is seeking input regarding the transportation needs of senior citizens.
Those interested are being asked to attend an upcoming series of community meetings to address those needs.
4CCF recently organized the Lapeer County Transportation Collaborative specifically to address unmet transportation needs of older adults and other vulnerable populations in Lapeer County.
To accomplish that goal, the 4CCF is working with the consulting firm of RLS & Associates, who have scheduled eight community-input meetings for residents to share their thoughts and concerns about transportation needs.
RLS & Associates staff, shown here taking part in training, will host eight community input meetings next month to gather comments regarding the possible expansion of public transportation in Lapeer County.
Meeting schedule
The following is a list of dates, times and locations for those meetings.
•Tuesday, October 5 from 10-11 a.m. at the Almont Township Hall, 819 N. Main Street, Almont
•Tuesday, October 5 from 1-2 p.m. at the Old Town Hall at 3551 Hadley Road in Hadley.
•Tuesday, October 5 from 7-8 p.m. at the Lapeer County EMS Education Facility, located at 3565 W. Genesee Street in Lapeer.
•Wednesday, October 6 from 10-11 a.m. at the Imlay City Senior Center at 395 E. Third Street in Imlay City.
•Wednesday, October 6 from 1-2 p.m. at the Goodland Township Hall at 2374 N. Van Dyke Rd.
•Wednesday, October 6 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Eastern Michigan State Fairgrounds offices at 751 S. Almont Ave. in Imlay City.
•Thursday, October 7 from 10-11 a.m. in the North Branch Council Room at 4018 Huron St. in North Branch.
•Thursday, October 7 from 1-2 p.m. at the Columbiaville Community Center, located at 4620 Water St. in Columbiaville
Zoom option
For those unable to attend in person, the meeting on October 5 at 7 p.m. at the Lapeer County EMS Education Facility will provide the option of participating virtually through Zoom. Those interested in receiving the Zoom link should call RLS & Associates at 937-299-5007, to request access.
Public survey
The public may take the survey online by visiting https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Lapeer_Trans.
Paper surveys are available at the Four County Community Foundation office at 231 E. St. Clair St. in Almont. Please call 810-798-0909 in advance to ensure the office is open.
For questions about accessibility or to request an accommodation, call 937-299-5007 or email ccampoll@rlsandassoc.com and reference the Lapeer County input meetings.
Background
Results of the foundation’s 2019 Community Needs Assessment showed that public transportation was one of the county’s greatest needs, particularly in the eastern half of Lapeer County. Senior citizens in particular reported that a lack of transportation impacted their ability to get to medical and other health-related appointments.
Since then, the foundation secured a grant to study local transportation needs.
RLS & Associates is an Ohio-based consultant group that, according to their website, “provides training, technical assistance, and transportation management and operations consulting services to small, medium, and large public transit systems, federal and state departments of transportation, government agencies, and paratransit operators.”
