SARTA Hosts Rep. Sykes, Dignitaries, for Facility Grand Opening

The Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA), Canton, OH, hosted Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-OH); Ajay Garg, FTA Region V deputy administrator; and government, community, business, and labor leaders from across the region recently to celebrate the grand opening of the agency’s new administrative facility and formally accept a $17.3 million FTA grant.

“This is the largest single grant we have ever secured and the funding it provides will fuel our ongoing drive to build upon our status as a state, national, and world leader in the development and deployment of zero-emission technology in the public transit space,” said SARTA CEO Kirt Conrad. “We’re grateful for the support we continue to receive from Congresswoman Sykes, Canton Mayor William Sherer, the Stark County Commissioners, our state legislative delegation, and everyone who understands and values the essential role SARTA and public transit play in enhancing the quality of life in our community.”

The new administration building provides 13,000 square feet of additional office and meeting space. Its construction was a component of an overall four-year facility expansion project that included the acquisition of approximately 10 additional acres of land, the addition of an 80-space parking lot, secondary access in and out of the property, and a CDL training pad. In total, the project cost approximately $9.2 million and was paid for with federal, state, and local funds.

“A meaningful quality of life and the economic development of Northeast Ohio depends on reliable transportation, and the fact that SARTA provides energy efficient and sustainable transportation is a win-win for the community and the environment,” said Rep. Sykes. “As the only Ohioan on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I am glad to help secure this valuable investment that will improve public transit in our communities.”

The FTA grant will help SARTA achieve its sustainability goals in two ways: first, by supporting the agency’s effort to convert its remaining fossil-fueled buses to zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell-powered vehicles, and second, by funding the acquisition and installation of a 1.2 Megawatt electrolyzer that will enable SARTA to produce green hydrogen on site. The electrolyzer will reduce emissions associated with the production of hydrogen used to fuel SARTA’s fleet, which is now trucked into the facility, by 64 percent in the future.

In addition, the grant will enable SARTA to invest in people via a workforce development program that will be operated in partnership with Stark State College and the RG Drage Career and Technical Center. “We will actively recruit and prepare local residents for the wide variety of good-paying jobs that will become available thanks in large part to the federal government’s commitment to and massive investment in the development of clean hydrogen technology,” said Conrad.