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| Volume 18, Issue 4 | Fall 2006 |
FTA Region VIII Administrator Pays Visit to NDLee Waddleton, Region VIII Administrator from the FTA office in Denver, made a trip to North Dakota in September at the invitation of Bruce Fuchs. This was the first time he had ever been to North Dakota, and this trip provided his first professional exposure to a very rural setting in terms of transit operations. Mr. Waddleton initially visited the NDDOT and had an opportunity to exchange briefings with NDDOT administrators, Grant Levi, Tim Homer, Dave Leftwich, and Bruce Fuchs. Bruce then provided him with a "road trip" across North Dakota with a stop in Steele at Kidder Emmons Senior Services to meet with Pat Randall and a visit to James River Transit in Jamestown to meet with Laurie McGuire. They proceeded on to Fargo where they met with representatives from the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments (COG), the Fargo Senior Commission, and the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area Transit (MAT). Julie Bommelman and Laurie Van Beek provided a tour of the new, state-of-the-art MAT bus storage and maintenance facility in north Fargo. Mr. Waddleton then met with the staff of the Small Urban & Rural Transit Center at NDSU and was briefed on current research projects. This visit provided Mr. Waddleton with some first-hand experience in understanding transit provision issues such as the impact of low density populations in combination with the long distances traveled by rural systems. He actively participated in the discussions and asked many thought-provoking questions. It was apparent that he was eager to learn and absorb as much as possible about rural and small urban transportation. Opportunities to expose our national FTA representatives to the realities of non-urban transportation are critical for our continued financial support and to encourage their active advocacy for favorable rural and small urban transit-related policies. Calendar of Events
ND 2006 Friend of TransitSenator Nething was the North Dakota 2006 Friend of Transit at DTA's fall conference in Spearfish South Dakota. Senator Nething has been a long-time advocate for transportation issues in North Dakota; however, his commitment was never more apparent than during the most recent legislative session. Senator Nething was approached by transit providers for his input on what recommendations should be made to the legislature to increase funding for the provision of transit services throughout North Dakota. After carefully listening to our concerns and asking a number of specific, pointed questions, Senator Nething offered to do some additional research. He followed through by contacting the NDDOT Director, David Sprynczynatyk and others from the Department of Transportation and garnered their backing. Senator Nething then sponsored Senate Bill 2348 which provided a 50% increase in State Aid for Public Transportation funding of 1.5 million dollars over the biennium. He was instrumental in securing support from other legislators in both the House and Senate. It is easy for a legislator to generically stand in support of having adequate transportation available. However, Senator Nething elevated that support to another level with his sponsorship and follow through on the transportation bill. The legislation faced many obstacles and changes over the course of making its way to eventual passage into law. Senator Nething steadfastly defended and promoted the transportation bill asking transportation providers for feedback and keeping us informed every step of the way. In the end, he advanced Senate Bill 2348 through to its successful completion. North Dakota residents, who depend upon public transportation for their mobility and quality of life, can thank Senator David Nething for his steadfast and persistent determination to make sure state funding available to provide increased match for the new Federal funding under SAFETEA-LU and to sustain and enhance the existing transportation programs.  Pictured left to right are; Mike Dahlgren, Irwin Phiefer, Rhonda Sahr, Roger Thompson, Senator David Nething, Laurie McGuire, Jim Thompson, Patti DeBuck, Dennis Gainsforth, Betty Starkey and Chuck Erstad. A Wonderful ExperienceRuth Stefonowicz has retired from her position as transit director at Wild Rose North Dakota. Here is what Ruth has to say about her experiences while director at Wild Rose. In 1996, my husband, Bob, and I moved to his home town, Wildrose, ND. Because we had visited Bob's parents many times during the time we'd lived other places, we knew many of the Wildrose residents. We were especially familiar with the senior citizens. It was the Wildrose Senior Citizens who gave me the opportunity to become the Driver/Supervisor of the Wildrose Senior Transportation. The previous Driver/Supervisor, Dolly, had done the work years before to get a bus for the Wildrose community. Dolly also had set up a bookkeeping system that was complete and easy to manage. The bus was very functional and well cared for, but it was old and lacked many of the "comforts" seniors deserved. With the help of Bill Weimer, Bruce Fuchs and the NDDOT a new bus was acquired. A year later a bus garage was built. These changes provided the Wildrose seniors with a comfortable bus and warmth when we started our trips. From the time I took over, Dolly was always supportive and our most reliable passenger. Even though she is now over 90, she also was a great help to see that everyone's needs were met. We also provided transportation to others in the area for doctor appointments, shopping, meetings and fun times like the regional lutefisk and meatball dinners. My husband and I have moved to West Fargo to be closer to our children and grandchildren. The Wildrose Transportation memories will be with me the rest of my life. It was a wonderful experience! Thank you, Ruth, for your many contributions over the years from DTA and Gary Hegland, Executive Director.
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