Independence seniors will be able to continue receiving the comfortable, quality transportation they have come to rely on from the Independence Township Senior Center.
The Independence Board of Trustees approved the purchase of a non-handicap lift van for the center at their Dec. 21 meeting. The van will replace a vehicle that has reached 150,000 miles.
‘We needed a van that doesn’t have a lift so we can transport a large number of people for a number of purposes,? said Margaret Bartos, senior center coordinator.
The center is purchasing a 2004 Van Terra for $35,107 from Great Lakes Coach. The vehicle is scheduled for delivery in a couple of weeks.
The money for the van will come from monies set aside each year from the township’s Community Development Block Grant funding. For a few years now, the township has set aside $15,000 of each year’s disbursement towards purchases such as this.
Currently, the account had $45,000 available.
The senior center provides transportation to seniors, 55 and older, in Independence Township, Clarkston and Springfield Township. The cost is $2 each way.