Cedar County Transit is cruising along in new facility
HARTINGTON — While Cedar County Transit only had to travel a short distance across Hartington to relocate to its new home this past year, it sure has come a long way when it comes to having a new headquarters to call its own.
The county transportation agency moved Sept. 27 into its new transit facility, which is located in the southwest corner of Hartington.
“It’s amazing,” Cedar County Transit Manager Nikki Pinkelman said. “It’s fabulous to have everything under one roof.”
Cedar County Clerk Dave Dowling noted he has not heard a negative comment about the new building.
The approximately 125-by-80-foot steel structure with a concrete floor is home to a parking garage, a wash bay, an office, a conference room/breakroom and two restrooms.
Pinkelman said the county transportation agency needed a climate-controlled base of operations where it could house and clean off its vans and cut down on the vehicles’ wear and tear.
“It’s so nice to have them in the garage,” she said. “The drivers appreciate it.”
To Pinkelman, having an office in the same location as where the vans come and go has helped Cedar County Transit run more efficiently.
“It’s so much nicer for communication between the drivers and myself,” she said. “It’s easier to communicate for everyone under one roof.”
Pinkelman oversees full-time scheduler Ashley Gowery and 10 part-time drivers as part of her responsibilities as the full-time transit system manager.
She noted the county transportation agency has 11 white vans with red and black decals in its fleet and they all fit inside the transit facility.
Six of the vans have wheelchair accessibility and are compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. The other five vehicles are just standard vans.
“We do have two more ADA-accessible vans on order and one for a transit van, which also will be wheelchairaccessible with an electronic lift,” Pinkelman said.
Pinkelman, the Cedar County Transit manager since August 2016, said prior to moving into this facility, the transportation system rented a three-stall parking garage in the back of the Hartington City Hall. At that time, Cedar County Transit had 10 vans, with three stored inside and the other seven parked on the street.
The new building has proven beneficial with the ability to house all of the county transportation agency’s vehicles and protect them from the weather outside.
RaDec Construction of Hartington took about nine months to build the structure. KPE Architecture of Omaha also was involved in the project.
While the building was move-in ready by late September, its exterior signage was not installed until Dec. 27.
The cost of construction was $1.3 million, with a Federal Transit Administration grant covering 80 percent and Cedar County tax dollars handling the other 20 percent.
Cedar County Transit, which has existed since 1980, celebrated expanding its service area into eastern Knox County – including Bloomfield, Crofton and Wausa – on Jan. 12.
“We will travel 30 miles from the Hartington transit facility to the Knox County rider home address,” Pinkelman said. “We have had requests for years to pick up residents in our neighboring towns – lots of Crofton requests with them being so close to our county line.”
Money from a National Rural Transit Assistance Program grant has enabled the county transportation agency to fund a pilot project in Knox County for approximately 12 months.
“We are trying to assist with the need for safe, reliable and affordable public transit in our area,” Pinkelman said.
During the celebration, a couple of the speakers touched upon how impressed they were with Cedar County Transit’s new facility.
Bill Bivin, the statewide mobility manager with the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Center for Public Affairs Research, noted the building will have its own grand-opening celebration at some point.
“I know that this facility is going to have its own day and its own special opening, but what about this facility?” he said. “This is an amazing facility to start this project in.”
Knox County Clerk Joann Fischer echoed Bivin’s comments.
“What a facility,” she said. “I love your building. The vans are impressive.”
CEDAR COUNTY TRANSIT:
Cedar County Transit will pick up and take riders up to 200 miles from its Hartington transportation facility located at 56253 Highway 84.
“We have set low-cost round-trip fares,” transit system manager Nikki Pinkelman said.
Cedar County Transit’s office hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and drivers are available 6 a.m.-6 p.m. the same days.
People are encouraged to call the county transportation agency at 402-640-6147 or check its Facebook page for more information.
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