Transportation and Infrastructure

Don Watson, a retired McMinnville math teacher, told U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici at a town hall Monday he is concerned about gridlock in Congress.

"What can we do to increase bipartisanship, even with an administration that's wacko?" he asked, drawing a chuckle from the 100 or so people gathered to speak with Bonamici at Chemeketa Community College's McMinnville campus.

The City of Wilsonville's South Metro Area Regional Transit (SMART) agency has been awarded a $1.45 million grant by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the purchase of new electric-powered buses. Funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation's "Low or No-Emission (Low-No) Bus Program Projects," SMART plans to purchase two 35-foot battery-electric buses and their accompanying charging systems. The City of Wilsonville is providing a $400,000 match, giving the project a total amount of $1.85 million.