Elected officials in attendance break ground on the new Valley Transit administrative office. Left to right: Pauline Meyer, Congressman Gallagher’s office, COA Alder & FCTC Vaya Jones, City of Kaukauna Tony Penterman, City of Appleton Mayor Jake Woodford, VT General Manager Ron McDonald, Village of Fox Crossing Dir of Comm Dev & FCTC Chair George Dearborn, and Town of Buchanan Administrator & FCTC Michael Brown.
Valley Transit’s Whitman Avenue administrative office is set to undergo a major renovation to meet the long-standing needs of the facility and enhance the workplace experience for its staff. A groundbreaking event, held on August 3, 2023, was attended by various elected officials, including Appleton Mayor Jacob Woodford, Kaukauna Mayor Tony Penterman, State Representative Lee Snodgrass, Congressman Gallagher’s representative Pauline Meyer, Fox Cities Transit Commission members George Dearborn, Michael Brown and Vaya Jones and City of Appleton and Valley Transit staff.
The current 41,000-square-foot facility was originally built in 1982 and serves as office space for administrative staff, is where all drivers report and where training and maintenance occurs.
Appleton Mayor Woodford speaks at the groundbreaking event.
The renovations will address the long-standing needs of the facility and the workplace experience for its staff with the installation of a geothermal heating and cooling system and incorporation of security and accessibility features, while enhancing the public transportation services that are essential to so many people.
The event was a demonstration of the strength of collaboration between multiple communities to operate the Valley Transit bus system. Appleton Mayor Jacob Woodford acknowledged this by stating, “While (Valley Transit) is a department of the city of Appleton, it is a story of partnerships across many communities
The renovation project not only benefits the communities served by Valley Transit but also keeps money within the local economies thanks to federal investments from ARPA funds and the CARES Act. This federal funding frees up local resources for investment in job creation and infrastructure improvements.
