It was the end of the line last week for Eleanor Hamilton and her relationship with the North Oakland Transportation Authority (NOTA).
The 94-year-old Leonard resident received her final ride from NOTA on Dec. 30 when the white van picked her up outside the Addison senior center in Lakeville.
‘I’m going to enjoy my ride home,? Hamilton said. ‘I really appreciated the rides. It’s been wonderful having those rides.?
But it wasn’t just Hamilton’s final ride, it was the very last NOTA ride for anyone living in Addison Township and the Village of Leonard.
‘It’s very sad. We were not looking forward to this day,? said Sharon Geare, who oversees the Addison senior center and the meals program there. ‘It’s just distressing.?
Because Addison voters failed the NOTA millage not once, but twice last year, the township is no longer part of the transportation service it helped establish in 2001 through a partnership with Oxford and Orion townships.
‘Our drivers are sad. They’re attached to the riders. They feel bad,? said Lynn Gustafson, executive director for NOTA. ‘We all are (sad). We’re all hoping that maybe something will change in the future.?
‘I’m very sad about it,? said Addison Supervisor Bruce Pearson. ‘I know how important (this service) is to our seniors. I feel really bad about it. I truly thought (the millage) was going to pass.?
NOTA provides low-cost, publicly subsidized transportation for senior citizens (age 60 and older), permanently or temporarily disabled individuals and low-income folks. The agency charges its users the nominal fee of $1 or $2 per ride (one way).
Destinations for typical NOTA riders include medical appointments, grocery stores, church services, therapy and counseling appointments, hair appointments, employment-related training, community events and the Oxford-Orion FISH food pantry.
NOTA gave 34,184 rides in 2014, which includes 2,071 for Addison, 15,384 for Oxford and 16,729 for Orion.
Voters in Oxford and Orion townships approved a five-year, 0.25-mill property tax to help support NOTA last August.
But Addison voters failed the millage request twice. It went down 557-531 in August and 1,257-1,216 in November.
Hamilton, who’s lived in Leonard since she was 16 years old and served as the village treasurer for 26 years, was surprised it failed a second time.
‘I don’t think (the voters) were thinking about us (who) don’t drive anymore,? she said. ?(NOTA is) the only way we can get around.?
Addison resident Alissa Britt took news of the millage failure pretty hard. She uses NOTA because she cannot drive due to a mild case of cerebral palsy.
‘I had tears in my eyes when it went down,? she said. ‘I felt so bad.?
Addison’s portion of the millage would have generated $70,000 annually for NOTA and been used to help make up for lost federal and state funding.
Because the other two townships approved the millage, Addison was informed by the NOTA board that if it didn’t pay what was considered its fair share, its residents would no longer receive any service beginning in January 2015.
Although he’s a strong supporter of NOTA, Pearson has repeatedly vowed that if voters didn’t approve the millage, he would not go against their wishes and ask the township board to continue funding the transportation service using $70,000 from the township budget.
So, as it stands right now, Addison and Leonard residents are no longer eligible for rides from NOTA.
‘There’s been a lot of riders that are afraid of what the future is going to hold,? Gustafson said. ‘A lot of the people have no other (transportation) options.?
‘I have seniors calling me and asking me what they’re going to do about doctor’s appointments and picking up prescriptions,? Geare said. ‘I cannot give them any options.?
Pearson doesn’t believe it would be right for the township board to take it upon itself to place the NOTA millage request on the ballot a third time.
‘If I put it back on, they’ll say I’m just a regular old politician that just keeps putting it on again and again and again ? you know wear (the voters) down,? he said. ‘I said if (the voters) turned it down, I wouldn’t be just like the school districts that keep coming back at you.?
The question could possibly get back on the ballot, according to Pearson, if an Addison resident or group circulated and submitted a petition requesting the township board consider doing so.
‘The trouble is our seniors are a minority and unfortunately, seniors don’t always have a vocal group that speaks up for them,? he said. ‘Seniors generally don’t complain. I’m afraid they’ll just take (the loss of NOTA) with a smile and say, ‘Well, it is what it is.? But in reality, somebody should stick up for them.?
The ability of citizens to force another NOTA millage vote through a popular initiative is being researched by the township attorney. Based on talks with the Oakland County Elections Division, preliminary findings indicate it’s not a legal option, according to township Clerk Pauline Bennett.
The loss of NOTA is going to be extremely hard on folks like Hamilton, who cannot or do not drive due to age, medical conditions or lack of income. She relied on NOTA to take her to the grocery store, medical appointments and to the Addison senior center.
Her daily trips to the senior center are what Hamilton is going to miss the most. The majority of her social life revolves around visiting the center for lunch and activities.
‘I enjoy getting out and being with my friends,? Hamilton said. ‘I enjoy coming here and putting puzzles together and playing bingo. What can I do at home by myself??
Some volunteers are going to try to give her rides to the center whenever they can, but without NOTA, Hamilton said, ‘I have no other way of getting here.?
‘I’m not going to be on this old Earth much longer and I enjoy coming down here so much. I hate to be deprived of it,? she added.
As for getting to the grocery store, Hamilton said she’ll rely on the kindness of others, but only if they offer. She doesn’t wish to bother anyone or impose on others.
‘I don’t like to ask people,? Hamilton said. ‘If somebody invites me to go with them, I’ll be happy to go, but I’m not going to ask anybody to take me.?
Britt is trying to line up rides with friends and family members. She relied on NOTA to take her to the grocery store, medical appointments, baby-sitting jobs and the Addison senior center, where she does volunteer work.
‘I feel awful that I will never be able to ride (with NOTA) again,? Britt said.
Although transportation was NOTA’s primary function, Hamilton and Britt will miss more than just the rides. They’ll miss the people behind NOTA ? the drivers and dispatchers.
‘I really appreciated NOTA’s courtesy,? Hamilton said. ‘The drivers always walk me to my door. After all, I’m 94. I’m so glad they don’t just turn me loose when they pull in my driveway. They see to it that I get in my house.?
Britt will miss her ‘friendship? with NOTA employees. ‘They’re really nice on the phone with me,? she said. ‘Every time I call, it’s not a problem.?
Despite the fact that Addison is now out of NOTA, the transportation agency will continue to keep 13 vehicles on the road Monday through Friday for as long as possible in 2015.
‘We’re not changing any of the routes at this time,? Gustafson said. NOTA’s able to do this because of some previously unused grant money, according to Gustafson.
However, she warned that NOTA has a ‘pretty tight budget? this year, so expenses and rider demand will ultimately determine how long 13 vehicles stay on the road this year.
Gustafson noted NOTA is expecting to cut two vehicles in 2016 due to the loss of Addison. ‘That’s what we’re anticipating at this point, unless things change,? she said.
Geare is hopeful this is not the end for NOTA in Addison and the township will find some way to regain the service.
‘I don’t know how,? she said. ‘We’re hoping for a miracle, but we don’t have a miracle yet. We can always hope.?