Semcac invites the press and community to attend the groundbreaking of their new Transportation building, which will be constructed in Kasson, located behind Kasson City Hall. The event will take place on July 30th, 2018 at 401 Commerce Drive SE in Kasson at 2:00pm.
Semcac’s Transportation Department has grown significantly in the past four years. Semcac offers affordable public bussing transportation, otherwise known as Rolling Hills Transit, as well as rides for seniors and qualified Medicaid recipients via the Volunteer Driver Program. Both programs have flourished in recent years, therefore the need for more space has been an ongoing concern that needed to be addressed. Bus rides are offered in the counties of Dodge, Houston, Fillmore, rural Olmsted and Winona. Volunteer, donation-based rides for seniors and Medicaid recipients are offered in Dodge, Fillmore, Houston, Steele, Waseca and Winona Counties.
This new construct will house Semcac’s Transportation Department staff and buses. At this location, the Rolling Hills Transit buses will be stored/parked in addition to providing space for the transportation dispatch center and management offices. The building plans include space for trainings/meetings, 4 offices, 9 dispatch work spaces, parking for 6 buses, and a bus wash bay.
After a detailed RFP process, the agency decided to work closely with a community contractor, WSN – Widseth, Smith and Nolting, and builder ABS. 80% of the funding for this project is made possible by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The remaining 20% of the funding comes from local matching dollars (ex: bus fares, county support, city support, local donors, etc.). Semcac’s staff and board members look forward to seeing the construction begin and the plans come to fruition.
Semcac is designed to serve the southeastern Minnesota counties of Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Houston, Mower, Steele and Winona; there are Semcac contact offices located in each of these counties. The Dodge County Contact Office and Kasson Food Shelf will remain at the current location, at 20 E. Veterans Memorial Hwy in Kasson. Semcac also offers limited services in the 5 counties of Olmsted, Goodhue, Rice, Wabasha and Waseca. Semcac operates programs within the departments of Head Start, Senior Services, Outreach & Emergency Services, Community Development, Family Planning and Transportation.
Questions: Erlene Welshons, Transportation Director, erlene.welshons@semcac.org
