• By Adriana Acosta •
• Originally published March 17, 2010 at 3:53 p.m., updated March 17, 2010 at 3:54 p.m.

Thelma Fountain is looking forward to having a park and ride in the city.

“I don’t drive and I rely on friends when I need to go places,” she said.

Fountain is retired, but says public transportation is important to have in the area.

This transit program will be great for the city if it works out, she said.

Matagorda County received a $50,000 grant from the Houston-Galveston Area Council to perform a transit and park and rides study for the area.

The survey is for county residents to learn their options about the kind of bus service needed in the county.

The open house was held at the Bay City Civic Center on Tuesday.

The study will be performed by Goodman Corp. from Austin.

Citizens got to see information on the type of transit that is available and appropriate for the region, said Susan Maclay, the project manager for Goodman Corp.

Possible transit options for the region included a fixed route, flex route, taxi subsidy, van pool, car pool, demand response and park and ride.

The goal of this open house is to put together a transit plan that is going to deliver the most cost effective service for the region, said Maclay.

“We tried to do this a couple of years ago, but we didn’t have any funding,” said Mayor Richard Knapik. “We now have a grant that will enable us to hire a group and head the study.”

With the future expansion of South Texas Project unit 3 and 4, the city is anticipating a large crowed of construction workers within the next four or five years, said Knapik.

“We want to be prepared for when they come and having a park and ride would benefit them; they can park their cars, board a bus and head to their specific construction site,” he said.

The Houston-Galveston Area Council created a large regional transit plan for 13 counties in the region.

“Several counties were identified as having some priorities for transit needs, and Matagorda County was one of those,” said Kari Hackett, program manager for the council.

“We also need to have a fix route for the citizens of Bay City and Palacios,” said Knapik

The fix routes are planned for Highway 60 and Highway 35 so people can go from place to place, he said. This is important because the city continues to grow and we want to be prepared for the future.

The city wants to offer an alternative, inexpensive way for public transit, he said.

The elements of the plan will include:

* Review of existing plans and past studies

* Review of existing transit services within Matagorda and adjacent counties

* Public outreach to Citizens, Business Owners, and Health and Human Service providers

* Recommended Service Plan

* 5 Year Financial Plan outlining how the Service will be financially sustained

The study was initiated in February 2010 and is estimated to conclude in May 2010.

The survey can be taken on online in English and Spanish until April 16 by going to http://matagordacountytransitplan.com/survey.html

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