National honor well deserved
Last Updated (Thursday, 01 April 2010 14:49) Written by Administrator Sunday, 11 October 2009 02:43
National honor well deserved by Levitsky, FMCTA
Times West Virginian
Every town should have a strong public transit system - one that meets the needs of the public and even goes beyond those needs to assist on special occasions.
The Fairmont-Marion County Public Transit Authority indeed meets those needs.
It meets them so well, in fact, that the Community Transportation Association of America — a prestigious organization to say the least — studied Marion County’s public transit system and was so impressed with it, that its manager George Levitsky was selected as the association’s 2009 Manager of the Year.
That’s quite an honor for Levitsky, especially considering that he has been at his post for just more than six years. He took the position in 2003 and it has been making steady progress each year. In presenting the award, Caryn Souza said that it is given each year to honor “a community transportation leader who provided service that is integral to the community while creating a vision for the system that has the support of within and outside the organization.”
The Fairmont Marion Transit Authority reports that its “customers” are up 15 percent this year. Levitsky is always concerned that his service is not interrupted for his customers.?Last year a handsome new building was completed at the top of Adams Street to house the authority — providing it with 3,000 more square feet to the original 10,000-square foot building that was constructed for it in 1980. His employees had to change their headquarters for awhile, but the bus service proceeded as scheduled.
The authority, founded in 1972, has a fleet of 23 buses, with a variety of seating capacities. The authority employes 32 people with 26 of them being drivers.
Six support staff members serve the authority in different capacities.
“All are fully equipped to meet ADA requirements,” he said, “with three support vehicles and four locally owned buses.”
A special service the transit authority offers are bus trips to Ruby Memorial Hospital four times each day and to the VA hospital and downtown Clarksburg three times each day. Bus trips to Meadowbrook Mall are made each Wednesday of the month with the exception of the last Wednesday, when trips are made to the Morgantown Mall.
When Levitsky says “we enjoy being the community transportation system,” one can tell he means it. ”We take pride in being good stewards of the tax dollars,” he says. “Our services add to the quality of life of our citizens.”
Levitsky’s devotion to those people who depend on his buses to get around in Marion County no doubt played a major role in his selection for the national honor.
E-mail John Veasey at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Suzane Park
Director of Communication
WV Public Transit Association
PO Box 1312
Bridgeport, WV 26330
Phone: 304.844.0123
www.wvtransit.com
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