More riders from northern Warren Co. sought for senior van trips

QUEENSBURY | After the first several weeks of its existence, Warren County's new senior/veterans van service is seeking more riders from northern Warren County towns. County Office of the Aging Director Deanna Park said Jan. 25 that the county's new free passenger van service — which picks up people from their homes throughout northern Warren County and takes them to desired destinations in Queensbury and Glens Falls — has to date only been making its biweekly trips to and from Warrensburg and North Creek, rather than all the towns the service was intended for. "We really want to get the word out to people in northern Warren County, because we can provide transportation for people to go grocery shopping, visit pharmacies, get their hair styled, visit friends, and go shopping in Queensbury and Glens Falls," she said. "Our driver is friendly, a great gentleman, and he's ready and willing to take riders where they want to go." Park said her agency is particularly seeking riders from Thurman, Stony Creek, Chestertown, Pottersville and other areas of the town of Chester as well as Brant Lake and elsewhere in the towns of Horicon, Bolton, and Hague. "We can provide service as many people who need transportation," she said, noting that to date, the trips from Warrensburg and North Creek have hosted from five to 10 riders. Park added that these trips can enable people to visit friends and relatives in nursing homes or to run errands in shopping centers as well as the above destinations. The service is available to area residents at least 60 years old — or veterans of any age. A senior bus service operated by the regional Community Action entity had been operated for many years until the agency abruptly halted it last winter, prompting Warren County to take it over and operate the service using several new, well-appointed passenger vans, and to expand its ridership eligibility. "Community Action stopped operating it, so we came up with a solution because senior/veteran transportation was a much-needed service," Park said. "Our new service is a great opportunity for people who need transportation, and we are pleased to offer it." Jerri Howe, 91, of Warrensburg said she is very happy that the transportation service has been resumed and enhanced because she used the prior service for about 20 years. "When the former bus service stopped operating last winter, it put me 'in a pickle' for many months, then when I heard from the Office for the Aging that they would start picking me up at home again, I was so excited," she said. "I told the woman who called and gave me the news, 'This is the best Christmas present ever.' I was so excited, you have no idea." Howe said the county's van driver "is a very nice guy" who takes people to Walmart and other places where they want to go, and she's enjoyed the conversations shared during the trips. Seniors are picked up at their homes and returned back home at the end of the daily trip, with service in each community twice a month on the following days: • Bolton/Hague – first and third Tuesdays of the month;• Chestertown/Brant Lake/Horicon– second and fourth Tuesdays;• Warrensburg/Johnsburg – first and third Thursdays; and• Thurman/Stony Creek – second and fourth Thursdays. People seeking to use the service should call the Office for the Aging at 518-761-6347 by noon the day before the scheduled trip to arrange a pickup at home. Additional details are provided on the county's website, as a few destination restrictions exist. Howe talked about how the new senior/veteran transportation service is now an important part of her life. "The van service gives me independence — I don't have to depend on others to be available to give me rides," she said. "It makes me feel good, and the people are lovely. The girls in the county's Office for the Aging are wonderful."

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More riders from northern Warren Co. sought for senior van trips

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