The Butler Transit Authority is applying for a federal grant in an attempt to explore public transportation options in and around Slippery Rock.

The authority's board recently approved the decision to apply for the Federal Transit Authority's Helping Obtain Prosperity for Everyone, which has $8.5 million in its coffers to support efforts throughout the country to improve transit services or facilities in areas of persistent poverty through planning, engineering, technical studies, or financial plans, according to federal guidelines.

John Paul, executive director of the Butler Transit Authority said Butler fits that profile. The application for the grant is due by June 30, according to the federal guidelines.

The grant, if awarded, would seek to answer the question, as Paul put it, “Would fixed route transit be an answer for transportation needs in the Slippery Rock area or would there be some other answer for people there?”

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appeared in Sunday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read more about the decision to apply for the grant.