PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson Transit Authority will conduct an open house today to gather public input on its long-range plan.
The meeting will be from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with special presentations at noon and 5 p.m. at the Cotton Building, 607 Water St., in downtown Port Townsend.
General Manager Tammi Rubert said it’s an opportunity for people to learn about the transit system and provide feedback on what it could be in 20 years.
The long-range plan will help guide future decisions on services, equipment and infrastructure investments, she said.
“We have an older comprehensive plan, but we have so much more opportunity now to gather data,” Rubert said. “The way we gather data today is spectacular.”
Rubert referred to software provided by Remix that brings in layers of information from ridership, including origin and destination, to infrastructure-based data points all on a single map.
The transit agency already has begun to provide quantitative performance metrics from its own ridership, she said.
Transit staff will be available during the day with topic boards to facilitate feedback and public comments, Rubert said.
An interpretive display will be available for viewing today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the agency’s headquarters building, 63 Four Corners Road, for those who are not able to travel downtown.
Jefferson Transit is planning a second outreach meeting later in the year for another round of input.
“This one will get them to think about it, to get a look at the system more in-depth, and hopefully by the next public outreach meeting, they’ll really have thought about the options,” Rubert said. “What do they want our system to look like?”
She described the agency as the hub of a wheel with connections throughout the North Olympic Peninsula, from Clallam and Kitsap counties to Mason and Grays Harbor counties.
“You can literally ride public transit all around the Peninsula,” she said.
Consultants from Fehr and Peers are managing the process, which is expected to last into October.
ECONorthwest is working with the agency on the many factors that could impact revenue, Rubert said.
“We’re looking at projecting our future annual revenue and what the costs differences are going to be in the future,” she said.
Transit documents, a calendar of events and a comment form are available at www.jeffersontransitplan.com.
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Jefferson County Managing Editor Brian McLean can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 6, or at bmclean@peninsuladailynews.com.
