Agenda - 12-12-2017 - 8-e - Right of Way Encroachment Agreement for Non-Utility Encroachments on Primary and Secondary Highways

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Attachment 4 15 1 The Orange County Department on Aging, in cooperation with the Public Transportation Department, submits this challenge grant to improve its bus ridership in the more rural parts of northern Orange County. Over the past five years, additional bus routes have been created to serve this older, rural population, however, few stops have adequate shelters, benches or even flat areas to wait for the buses. This has created a barrier to bus ridership. The grant money would be used to purchase and install 15 Simme-S eats at strategic locations visited by older adults in the area. Simme-Seats provide space for two persons to sit comfortably while waiting for the bus. There may be need for grading or easements as some of the sites to make sure that bus users can easily transit from the bus stop to the street to mount the bus. r I In addition to the bus stop seats, the Department on Aging will provide, at no cost to the grant, marketing of the bus stop improvements and travel training and encouragement to older adults so that they feel more comfortable using available public bus services. The Orange County Department on Aging (OCDOA) is a unit of county government devoted providing programs and services to older adults throughout the county. It hosts two, nationally accredited senior centers, that serve nearly 600 people daily. The senior centers are one-stop- shops for wellness, educational, and social activities. Lunch is served Mon-Friday at both locations. In addition, the Department on Aging supports a community service unit, called Aging Transitions, that provides information, referral, and direct assistance to older adults facing health-related and life-style changes as they age, as well as providing support to stay in their homes as long as safely possible. The Aging Transitions Team Is made up of social workers and occupational therapists, along with a Medicare and a Transportation Specialist. The Transportation Specialist provides help to older adults who are transitioning from driving, by linking them to bus and other public transportation options in addition to providing "bus riding instruction" so that they existing service can be easily accessed. The Department on Aging is guided by a Master Aging Plan (MAP) newly developed every five- 6ix years since 2000. The last(2012-17) MAP was broadly focused on"livability" for older adults, including major improvement and expansion initiatives around housing, transportation, healthcare, and community services. In 2016, Orange County was the first county in North Carolina to join the AARP Age-Friendly Community network. The 8-domian Age-Friendly Community framework guided both the 2017-22 MAP development process as well as its implementation strategies. Under the leadership of the OCDOA, nearly 30 representatives from town and county transit organizations, healthcare systems, and older adult community members gathered together over five, 2-hour meetings between January-March 2017 to develop the goals and objectives, strategies and outcome indicators for the 2017-22 MAP Transportation Domain. The Goal of this Domain is to Expand Services,and Improve Infrastructure for Safe, Accessible, and Affordable travel within the Community. Objectives related to this project include: Expanding transportation options, ease and comfort of bus ridership, and access to transit information and travel training.