Claremont
“Unfortunately it has not gotten off the ground,” said state Rep. John Cloutier, D-Claremont, the prime sponsor of the bill signed into law by Gov. Maggie Hassan in 2014. “I was hoping businesses would do more.”
The bus route would be operated under the Community Alliance Transportation Services, which is under the Community Alliance of Human Services, based in Sullivan County. The bus service currently has routes that cover Claremont, Newport and Charlestown.
Last June, the Alliance hired Corey Gagnon, of Maine, who said at the time he was eager to get the Route 120 service in operation. However, the Alliance recently announced that Gagnon resigned from his position, though it did not state a reason. In an interview soon after his hiring, Gagnon said that while operating along the Route 120 corridor appeared to be a good idea, it would take time to develop.
“Buses run on cold hard cash, and without money we cannot operate a bus,” he said.
Gagnon said the bus could become a reality, but there was no money in the budget to finance it and he said a partnership would have to be developed.
Cloutier said a bill currently under consideration in the Legislature could give the proposed Route 120 bus a boost.
The bill would allow for the commissioner of the Department of Transportation to “enter into certain contracts with private entities,” for “intermodal infrastructure and transportation,” the bill’s language states.
“It might help in certain circumstances,” Cloutier said, adding that the 120 corridor route would have to rely on federal, private and perhaps local funding because “the state has no money.”
The bill, which Cloutier signed on as a sponsor, is currently before the House Public Works and Highway Committee.
Chris Keblaka, chairman of the Community Alliance Board of Directors, agreed with Cloutier on the need to find funding for the service.
“I think that has been the biggest problem,” Keblaka said.
He said it was his understanding that Gagnon had initiated discussions with employers on contributing toward the expenses for the bus but Kebalka was not certain that status of those talks. Valeria Bailey has been named interim director of the CATS while the organization seeks a permanent replacement for Gagnon.
The legislation authorizing the bus route was proposed after studies showed a need for people from Claremont and nearby communities to have transportation to jobs in the Lebanon area, including Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. It was also seen as a way for people living in Lebanon to get to the state office buildings in Claremont’s mill district.
