Seneca approves $1.2M Contract for Electric Bus Facility

The Seneca City Council has unanimously approved $1.2 million in improvements for operations of the new all-electric CAT bus fleet.  Seneca Mayor Dan Alexander gives details. “We needed a facility to house the new CAT buses and it will be set up where they can do work on the buses if they need to.  So, there is a part of that building that needs to be renovated for a specific need for the buses.  That went out to bid and Sherman Construction will be doing the renovations at that facility.  It will be a 30,000 square foot facility that the city through the government will lease that property for the purpose of housing the CAT buses and everything they need to do.” Sherman Construction of Greenville will do the work on the Seneca Rail Site, formerly known as the Propex property, adds Mayor Alexander. “A $1.2 million contract for the upgrade of the facility at the Propex property for the CAT bus.  There were two grants that were involved in that, the Livability Grant and then another grant.  Between the two grants, we are able to do the renovations, which is a $1.2 million and we are able to purchase another bus from the additional money we were able to get, so the bus is about $900,000.  It was about $2.1 million that we were able to get in federal grants.” The contract also involves building a shelter and restroom facilities at the downtown charging station on Railroad Street and a shelter at Oconee Medical Center.  This money comes to the city from a U.S. Department of Transportation Livability Grant and the federal Rural Transit Assistance Program.