DART staff will potentially be holding two public meetings to get solicit feeback on requests for grant funding. Members of the public may attend or request more information, learn about current proposals being sent to federal and state programs, and make statements in support or against the plans to request and use the grant program's funding.
FY2024 State Funding Requests
DART staff will be holding a public hearing on April 24, 2023, to share current plans to request state funding for two DART projects: one to support transit services in rural Iowa and another to purchase two heavy-duty buses. See the full notice public hearing notice below.
Notice is hereby given that the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) will conduct a public hearing on Monday, April 24, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. at DART’s Administrative Offices, 620 Cherry Street, Des Moines, Iowa, 50309. The purpose of this hearing is to discuss an application from DART to the Iowa Department of Transportation for FY2024 financial assistance as follows:
DART will request state transit assistance for $1,985,298 to support general operations, $150,000 to support a special project to provide on-demand public transportation to the River Bend Neighborhood and surrounding areas in Des Moines and transit infrastructure funding for $500,000 to construct phase 2 of a new operations and maintenance facility; these projects require $150,000 and $125,000 in local match, respectively.
Operating Project State/Federal Amount
Section 5311 – Support Rural Transit Services $16,311
Capital Project State/Federal Amount
Section 5339 – Purchase Two 40' Heavy-Duty Buses $1,005,960
These projects will not have significant detrimental environmental effects on the area, and no persons or businesses will be displaced by these activities. These projects were developed in consultation with interested parties and are in conformance with the Transportation Improvement Program prepared by DART.
Any interested person or agency is invited to attend this hearing and speak for or against this application for funding. Written comments will be accepted at the above address through the date and time of the hearing specified above. For additional information, you may contact Mike Tiedens at (515) 283-5034.
DART FY2022 Program of Projects
The public will have until 2:00 p.m. on April 28 to request a public hearing during the comment period for FY2022's Program of Projects (POP). DART will be requesting funds from the federal government from various sections of grant funding (see details below). The POP document is publicly available at DART Central Station (620 Cherry St. Des Moines, IA 50309) in the second floor administration office between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. See full public notice below for full details.
The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) hereby publishes its FY2022 Program of Projects (POP) for 5307/5340, 5310, and 5339 funding. The proposed program of projects has been developed in consultation with interested parties, including private transportation providers and human service agencies.
The total federal share of section 5307/5340 funds available to the Des Moines urbanized area is $8,759,964, of which $2,676,160 will be requested for revenue vehicles, $2,040,000 for facilities and support equipment/technology, and $4,043,804 for eligible operational expenses. An additional $1,410,200 federal will be flexed from the surface transportation program to section 5307 to be used towards revenue vehicles. The total 5307 POP is $12,515,929, of which $10,170,164 is the federal share and $2,345,765 is the local share.
The total federal share of section 5310 funds available to the Des Moines urbanized area is $577,032, which must be programmed for transportation services planned, designed, and carried out to meet the special transportation needs of seniors and individuals with disabilities. The program is open to certified non-profit organizations for a portion of the funds and those interested should contact DART for project eligibility and future application information. Projects normally require a local match of 15%, 20%, or 50% of net costs. The 5310 program requires coordination with other federally assisted programs and services to make the most efficient use of resources. If no applications are received, funds will be requested for contracted demand response services for DART’s Paratransit division for $0, revenue vehicles for $577,032, bus shelters for $0, and operating expenses for $0. The total 5310 POP is $678,861, of which $577,032 is the federal share and $101,829 is the local share.
The total federal share of section 5339 funds available to the Des Moines urbanized area is $758,283 of which all will be requested for facilities. The total 5339 POP is $947,844, of which $758,283 is the federal share and $189,571 is the local share.
A copy of the proposed POP, together with a description of the project items are currently available for public inspection at DART Central Station, 620 Cherry Street, Des Moines, Iowa, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Comments on the POP are invited from interested individuals and/or parties and should be submitted to DART’s Grants Program Administrator at mtiedens@ridedart.com or 515-283-5034 no later than 2:00 p.m. on April 28, 2023.
If written requests for a public hearing are received prior to the end of the comment period, a public hearing will be scheduled, and the public notified. If no comments or requests for a public hearing are received, DART will consider the above POP to be final and will have complied with requirements of the federal regulations.