Livingston’s Main Street Commission will look to purchase a mini shuttle vehicle to help with transporting residents during special events.
Main Street Commission Chairman Gene Gantt received approval from Aldermen for up to $15,000. Gantt said officials have noticed that anytime the city has a big festival, many elderly people park far away.
“At those events, we have employed the use of golf carts from the city, and at times we have rented golf carts as well to shuttle people to help people get to the event and then back to their cars,” Gantt said.
Gantt said one option was more of an 11-seat passenger bus, with the other option being more of a golf cart-like vehicle. Gantt said the options are both used vehicles and that a new vehicle is out of the price range.
“They priced a new one, but it was a 14-passenger and it was $25,000,” Gantt said. “I would be happy to go with that one, but it was a little more than I thought we should spend at this point.”
The aldermen had questions about whether the vehicle would be insured. Gantt also said the purchase would not be an extra expense to the city.
“We had about $80,000 left over that was excess in the Main Street budget,” Gantt said. “We will spend about $40,000, I think, on the courthouse project that was unanticipated, but that still leaves us with plenty of money to purchase something like this, and we do receive our next funds in September, so just right around the corner.”
Gantt said he would like to get some windshields to install once a vehicle is purchased, in case it is raining on the day of an event.
