Sutter Creek – A banquet room full of Amador County community leaders became a steering committee for Amador Regional Transit System last week at Days Inn in Sutter Creek. New ARTS Manager James Means said the meeting is kind of a “let’s get the word out” activity. Leaders from cities and the county brainstormed over mass transit in Amador. Most groups said people did not always get information they needed, due to difficulty reading the ARTS bus schedule. Means, whose “professional heritage is centered around rebuilding stagnant entities,” said understood the importance of getting information to people. He said “not only are we going to make it happen, we are going to make it happen first.” Means said the group is a “steering committee,” and wanted it to meet regularly and determine changes needed to the bus system. Some ideas included a mid-week senior bus to Kirkwood Mountain Resort. Tracey Towner-Yep suggested after-hours routes for late workers. Tracy Birkner said so many local young adults are going to colleges, it would be a good idea for express routes to some of the colleges around Sacramento. Stan Lukowitz said his store has a bus stop out front, and his staff finally got a schedule and learned to read it, to help people use ARTS. Mike Daly suggested getting a core backbone to the system, focusing on senior needs, looking at comfort for riders, getting adequate bus stop shelters, and using private shuttles. Pat Crosby suggested a Sacramento to Mokelumne Hill backbone to have regular service people can count on. Means said “ridership is really depending on people knowing where we are, what we do, where we can take them and when we can bring them back.” David Plank said you should make the entire county aware that you exist. He said a handicapped community in Ione, living at Josie’s apartment complex, could be a dedicated customer of ARTs. And he said the Highway 124 & 16 area is a “natural hub.” He said the Ione area would benefit from a Wal-Mart service, and “clearly, easily understood, marked routes.” He said “tourists are blind until they can see a route.” He also suggested a bus route from Ione to Sutter Hill. Pam Weatherly and Maureen Funk suggested coordinating with B&Bs to have Saturday winery tours. Means said “you can have an extra route, as long as it’s clearly defined.” He said special routes can also include special events. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.