PdC council approves continued agreement for SMRT Bus management
By Correne Martin
In October, the SMRT Bus Service, for which Prairie du Chien is a grant sponsor, began to serve a fourth county. More specifically, it added a route between La Crosse and Tomah/Sparta, connecting Monroe County to the corridor of Crawford, Vernon and La Crosse counties. So now, a passenger could essentially ride from Prairie du Chien to Tomah (or to Viroqua or La Farge) and back for $6 (Monday through Friday).
According to SMRT’s website (ridesmrt.com), the focus of this regional bus transit service is for commuters, elderly and disabled residents, the general public and potential tourism related travel. Each time you board the bus you pay only $3 one way, no matter how far you ride.
“SMRT relies on a lot of different local governments, businesses, industries and institutions for financial support. Additionally, there are a lot of local governments (cities, counties) involved in providing input and, at times, in-kind support to make SMRT work,” explained Garth Frable, Prairie du Chien city planner. “SMRT is also always trying to adapt with the goal to best meet demand. This means routinely evaluating routes, times, destinations, stops, etc. In addition to transit grants, SMRT is also always trying to identify and secure other grants to support operation.”
Coordinating, organizing and promoting these efforts, the Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission (MRRPC), particularly transportation planner Peter Fletcher, has provided management of the day-to-day operations since the service began Dec. 3, 2012. This includes communication with the contracted service provider, Running Inc., of Viroqua, to evaluate routes, to routinely survey riders to ensure needs are met and to maintain quality control of SMRT.
Because MRRPC is a regional agency and does the regional transit plan, and because SMRT is a regional service, MRRPC and SMRT are a good fit, Frable said.
The Prairie du Chien Common Council, last week, approved a new professional services agreement between the city and MRRPC for 2018 services. The city pays MRRPC $350 per month for its services.
Other business
•The Prairie du Chien Common Council offered up acquisition of the La Riviere Park Nature Center to bids last month, however no one showed interest by submitting a bid. This meant the city would have been responsible for demolition and removal.
Alderman Todd Myers ended up deciding he could use the structure, which would have needed upgrading in order for continued public use. An agreement was made between Myers and the council. According to city administration, the exchange between council member and the government body he serves was legally OK.
•The council approved, after closed session, the presentation of a counter offer for a lot at Woodridge Acres.
