At its open meeting on September 4, Cache Creek council passed a motion to ask for a formal proposal from the Villages of Ashcroft and Clinton about what the cost would be for Cache Creek to rejoin the transit system which currently operates in those communities.
The motion, which was introduced by Cllr. David Dubois, was seconded by Cllr. Wendy Coomber. After a brief discussion it passed by a vote of two to one, with Mayor John Ranta voting against. Councillors Lisa Dafoe and Wyatt McMurray were not in attendance.
The intent of the motion is to see what is needed by way of funding in order for Cache Creek to participate in the service. When the formal numbers have been received, council will be able to consider them and then vote on whether or not to re-join.
Cache Creek was part of the transit system when it started, but withdrew from the service in 2013. In March 2016 members of the Para-Transit committee appeared before Cache Creek council to extend an offer to rejoin, offering the Village free membership in the service for a year. However, in June 2016 Ranta said that Cache Creek council had “no immediate consideration for re-entering the local transit system”.
READ MORE: Cache Creek has no immediate plans to rejoin transit
A survey conducted in Cache Creek in 2017 to assess the needs and wants of seniors in the community found that lack of transit was one of the top three issues mentioned, along with a lack of age-friendly, affordable housing and the lack of an information portal that would provide seniors with information about available services.
While council has not endorsed signing up for the transit service, a Cache Creek councillor says that they are very aware of the desire of the community to have an alternative method of transit available, and that council is trying to identify the best solution. “We’ve started down the path and are taking the first steps to join the transit authority if that’s the will of council.”
Ranta says that while he has has heard nothing about transit from residents, he knows that people would like to have it. “It will be up to staff [in Cache Creek] to contact staff in Ashcroft. It will be up to them regarding the timetable.”
editorial@accjournal.ca
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