KABS Sees Sequester Cut Restored, May Resume Lost Routes
Posted
Jordan Fouts-
With its 4 percent sequestration cut restored, Kosciusko Area Bus Service hopes to begin restoring county routes it was forced to drop. KABS General Manager Kevin Planck told Kosciusko County Commissioners this morning about the reinstatement of operating funds, the loss of which had forced the transportation service to cut two routes. He said he hopes to restore at least half of a route outside Warsaw and possibly a full one, but expressed wariness in case the funding restoration proves temporary. “I’d hate to establish a route and hire a person only to find out it’s temporary,” he remarked after the meeting. “We might start slow and see how it goes.” Planck is also hoping to replace two buses which are down. He said Cardinal Services, which manages KABS, made a one-time nonprofit budget request for an extra $10,000 each from the county and city to help cover the $100,000 cost of each bus. He hopes to receive a 20/80 federal matching grant for each $10,000, which he noted has been made available for the first time in three years and which would make up the rest of the cost of the buses. Commissioners also approved Highway Superintendent Scott Tilden purchasing a replacement semi trailer for about $49,000 from Southeastern Equipment Co. Inc., the lowest of the bids he gathered. And commissioners recognized World War II veteran Philip Lincoln Porter as the Veteran of the Month. Porter, who served in the Military Police after entering basic training in 1944, guarded officers and equipment in France and Austria. He now serves in the honor guard, which he said he considers the best thing he can do for service people. “Phil is right there whenever there’s a military funeral,” remarked Commissioner Bob Conley, noting Porter often gives the farewell to comrades and “has dedicated himself to the families of veterans.”
