AGENCY FOR COMMUNITY TRANSIT PRESENTS COMMUNITY ACTION GRANT FUNDS TO THE VILLAGE OF SOUTH ROXANA

The Funds Support Purchase of ADA-Accessible Utility Terrain Vehicle

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:

SJ Morrison
Agency for Community Transit
(618) 797-4600

PONTOON BEACH, IL., July 26, 2022… Agency for Community Transit (ACT) Board of Directors, Mark Achenbach (President), Ron Jedda (Vice President), Chrissy Wiley, Patrick McRae, and Lisa Ciampoli presented the Village of South Roxana with a check from the ACT Community Action Grants Program in the amount of $36,350.00 for the Village’s Inclusion Project. This project included the acquisition of a Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) modified to meet ADA accessibility requirements. This check was presented by the ACT Board of Directors and staff to the Village of South Roxana’s Mayor Barbara Overton, South Roxana Police Chief Bob Coles and Lieutenant Brian Doyle on July 14, 2022.

The newly acquired UTV will be used to transport members of the public to community events that may be otherwise inaccessible for them. For example, events held at parks, fields and stadiums are often difficult or impossible for individuals in wheelchairs or with mobility disabilities to attend. The UTV will allow the Village of South Roxana to accommodate individuals of all abilities and improve inclusivity of community activities. “The ACT Board was very pleased that we were able to assist the Village of South Roxana with funding for this project,” said ACT Board President Mark Achenbach. “Their innovative solution for accessible transportation to events that are not typically accessible shows that this community really cares for all of its citizens.”

The Village of South Roxana’s Inclusion Project is one of twenty (20) projects that have been awarded ACT Community Action Grant Program funds. Other projects include shared use paths, ADA improvements to public facilities, MCT fare products and other transportation support funds. The ACT Community Action Grants Program was established to fund projects that provide multi-modal transportation services to the people, organizations, and communities while enhancing mobility for the elderly and persons with disabilities, improving ADA accessibility, and promoting alternative transportation modes.

The ACT Board of Directors committed $2 million in funding to the ACT Community Action Grants Program for the 2022 calendar year. Madison County cities, villages, and townships, 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, park districts, transit districts and airport districts are all eligible to receive a maximum of $100,000 per project and per entity each calendar year.

Public bodies and organizations that are interested in applying or learning more, can find the ACT Community Actions Grants Program application at actinfo.org/grants and can contact ACT Grants Coordinator, Miriam Bell at ACTgrants@mct.org or 618-797-4600 ext 2251.

Agency for Community Transit, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in the State of Illinois. In addition to the Community Action Grants, ACT operates all services for Madison County Transit (MCT), including the fixed-route bus system, the Runabout paratransit service, the regional rideshare program known as RideFinders, and the ongoing maintenance and expansion of the MCT Trails bikeway system.