Transportation requests over $500,000 in new grant funding

There were no speakers at Rowan County commissioner’s Tuesday evening public hearing on transportation grants.
Tuesday’s public hearing was a chance for residents to voice their transportation-related opinions and concerns as staff prepares to apply for another round of grants for the 2028 fiscal year.
The applications are for grants offerred by the North Carolina Public Transportation Division.
Among the grants are the Community Transportation Program which covers a number of administrative costs. Those include salaries, travelling and communications, among other expenditures.
While the county is applying to the state’s Public Transportation Division, the funds originate from the US Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration. The funds are geared toward bolstering rural transportation.
“The purpose of these transportation funds is to provide grant monies to local agencies for the provision of rural, small urban and urban public transportation services consistent with the policy requirements of each funding source,” reads part of the resolution in support of applying for the grant.
The Community Transportation grant request totals $285,575. This includes a 15-percent county match which totals $42,836.
A proposed state and rural grant focuses on mobility for seniors and disabled residents.
This grant supports transportation to agencies like DaVita’s Kidney Care, Trinity Living Center and Rowan Vocational Opportunities.
The Rowan Vocational Opportunities is a facility that provides specialized work training and life skills classes.
“We are requesting $300,000,” said Rowan Transit Director Valerie Steele. “This is a 50-percent match.”
The 50-percent match means the county will have to pay $150,000 if the bid is successful.
In total, grant funding is expected to be $585,575. Of that amount $42,836 is the projected county match.
“These are just requests so we can apply for the grants,” Steele said, adding that each individual grant will still go before commissioners for approval.
The due date for the 2028 round of grants is Oct. 2.