Financial commitments for the local shuttle service were solidified this week, and a resolution was passed unanimously at the Herkimer County Legislature meeting on Wednesday, May 20.

The project, made possible through a Federal Rural Transit grant program accessed by the Herkimer-Oneida Counties Transportation Study (HOCTS), has been the subject of rigorous negotiations since February. 

HOCTS has been working with The Central Adirondack Partnership for the 21st Century (CAP-21) to put the two-year program in place this summer.

The local match for grant funding was solidified this week, with commitments from the Town of Webb, the Central Adirondack Association (CAA), and several local business owners.

CAP-21 took on local administrative duties for the program, which is titled the Old Forge Circulator Pilot Shuttle.

The service is designed to provide shuttle transportation for residents and visitors in the main hamlet areas of Old Forge and Thendara.

“The public-private partnership is the most logical and productive solution to our public transportation issues and grant funding is essential.

This our only affordable opportunity to get a shuttle service started, and study its feasibility,” said Town of Webb Tourism Director Mike Farmer. “

New possibilities for a shuttle system, which has been discussed for many years, were revealed by County Legislator Patrick Russell at the annual meeting of the Central Adirondack Association (CAA) in late January.

Legislator Russell organized discussions with Herkimer County Executive Jim Wallace and Dana Crisino of HOCTS.

Nick Rose of CAP-21 helped initiate a grant application, with the Town of Webb as the lead agency in partnership with the CAA.

It was determined that the most logical and expedient means was to solicit bids on a program contract from transportation companies which currently have the type vehicles stipulated in the grant, with registration, insurance and drivers in place.

“Several alternative plans have been considered,” Farmer added, “various vehicles, routes, schedules, and, most importantly, funding.

One plan was to have several shuttles operating from Thendara throughout Old Forge, then twice each day have one shuttle make a round trip to Eagle Bay and Inlet.

A van shuttle could also be added to service Big Moose and connect with the main shuttle. Those are still options for the future.”

Birnie Bus Service was the sole bidder for the contract, and the bid was 40 percent higher than the original proposed budget.

The new budget raised the local match amount from $15,000 to over $27,000.

Legislator Russell conferred with executive Wallace, who initiated new negotiations with Birnie Bus Service (BBS). The renegotiation was possible because BBS was the only bidder.

The revised program budget then reduced the local match to $22,875.

The Webb Town Council resolved to double its commitment from $5,000 to $10,000 per year, and the CAA board of directors did the same.

The board of directors of VIEW, the Moore family of Van Auken’s Inne, the Hollister family of Hollister’s Trading Post, and John Nemjo of Mountainman Outdoor Supply Company committed the remaining funds for the local match.

Herkimer County has contracted with Birnie Bus for the Youth Workers Transportation Service, which brings employees from the Mohawk Valley to several businesses in Old Forge throughout the summer.

BBS has proposed to utilize the drivers of those buses to also operate the local shuttles.

The local shuttle vehicles are 17-passenger, Type III, ADA compliant vans, chosen for their size and maneuverability in consideration of local summer traffic congestion.

“To comply with the transportation grant parameters, we created routes and stops with safety and accessibility foremost in mind,” Farmer said.

The shuttles will operate Thursday through Sunday, from mid-morning until early evening, and will travel Route 28 from Thendara railroad station to Hollister’s Trading Post.

We have 14 designated stops, including McCauley Mountain.

The shuttle vans will augment the shuttle buses contracted by the Adirondack Railroad, and they add the important ADA compliance and Main Street service.

The shuttle service will begin June 25, and run through September 6 on the four day per week schedule.

Some operational details are yet to be finalized through HOCTS, but it’s a beginning, and the local shuttle service will be a reality this summer.