Regional Transportation Set to Begin in February

McELHATTAN – Clinton County Commissioner Pete Smeltz announced Thursday the state has approved a grant to allow the expansion of public transportation into the county in February.

The occasion was a commissioners’ tour of the new UPMC Outpatient Facility in McElhattan. Smeltz said he heard on Thursday from Williamsport-based River Valley Transit that PennDOT has approved a long-delayed grant to extend bus transportation from Jersey Shore into the Lock Haven area.

Smeltz said while some “fine-tuning” needs to be done, River Valley plans to begin service on Feb. 20. He indicated to officials from UPMC that their new outpatient facility could be a stopping point, in addition to the nearby First Quality operations in Wayne Township.

The state grant had been delayed because of the state’s difficulty in providing full funding for its current year budget. The county had hoped to see the service begin in November of last year following an extended study of the proposal.

As proposed more than a year ago, the service would link Clinton County to existing RVT routes serving Lycoming County. A three-year trial has been proposed with 85 percent of the costs coming from PennDOT, three percent from RVT and the remaining 12 percent from among local participants including the county, the City of Lock Haven, the Clinton County Housing Authority, First Quality and Lock Haven University

The commissioners and the media on Thursday were given a tour of the new UPMC facility replacing, as of the first of the new year, the former Haven Medical Center in Lock Haven. The new setup features over 17,000 square feet with 26 exam rooms and four procedure rooms. Services offered include primary care, urology and general surgery. New specialty services at the clinic will include orthopedics and walk-in hours for laboratory and radiology.