The church across the street from the senior center in Torrington was demolished so the new transit vehicle parking garage could be built.

the money available. Finally, after consulting with Rich Douglass and John Black, the remodeling and renovation of the church building was scrapped and the building was demolished making way for a new building. New budgets, time lines, and projections were made. In-kind contributors were sought to make the local match. (Remember what Rich said about in-kind–it is easier not to have it! He was right, of course.)      Now that was done, what was the next step? Was the project to be a design build? (What the heck is a design build?) If so, what had to be done to secure a contractor? What information had to be given to the contractors? Where would I find the information needed to give to the contractors? E-mails flew back and forth, phone lines were busy, and meetings were held. Chaos reigned. And my mind was only soothed when I looked out of my window, saw a church building (which was already demolished), and thought about when times were simpler! It really wasn’t all that long ago, was it?      My next savior, John Dow, from the Federal Transit Authority, was located in Denver. What did I know about “Buy America, Fly America, Disadvantage Business Enterprise, Clean Air, Clean Water, Cargo Preference Requirements, Davis Bacon Act, Copeland Anti-Kickback Act, and last but not least, Seismic Safety Requirements?” After several futile attempts working with me to extract the appropriate information that I needed from the Federal Transit Authority Web site (oh, pleeeze!), John finally realized that the only way to get me to go away and have the right information was to give me all the information that the contractor needed to be in compliance with this project. This took a couple of

weeks for him to come around to my way of thinking, but he finally saw the only way out of this predicament. Gosh, that old church that used to sit across the street looked pretty good in my mind’s eye!      By Christmas 2002, I had a contractor hired, and things were looking a bit saner to me. Good weather, an excellent contractor, and a successful legislative attempt (#2) helped to brighten my outlook on the project. The cement was poured, deliveries were made, and people were working. Things had finally leveled out and my view of the church was becoming fuzzy!      The transit building and adjacent parking lot were finally finished in July 2003. Our open house was held the middle of August. It was a proud day for me. I had made it through the obstacle course and had a nice new building and adjacent parking lot for the seniors.      You might ask was it worth it? YES! Keep in mind that a project like this is not for the faint of heart. Christmas 2003 has just passed (I have another grandchild), snow is on the ground, it is 20 degrees below zero. I am thrilled that the drivers can go to the new building and get a vehicle that is clear of frost and somewhat warm. My drop cords are packed away. My memory of the church building has faded away!      One last piece of advice: If you can get the city or county to do the project, it will be much easier on you. However, if that is not possible, the above information is relevant and go into it with your eyes open. Surround yourself with people who can help you.      And we all lived happily ever after . . . .

The Goshen Area Transit System new bus garage.