Brookfield trustees on Oct. 28 authorized buying a new van for the senior citizens van program. They will buy a 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan under a state purchasing program for $22,335, using a $5,000 Trumbull County Senior Services Levy grant, about $13,000 in savings in the senior citizens van account and the rest from the general fund.
Trustee Dan Suttles said he had hoped to buy the van locally but no local dealerships could come closer than $3,000 over the state bid price offered by Greve Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram of Van Wert.
The current van, a 2009 Dodge, has more than 139,000 miles and has had maintenance issues.
The program offers low-cost rides to seniors and the disabled to travel within Brookfield and Masury, to Warren and Youngstown, and into the Pennsylvania side of the Shenango Valley. Volunteer drivers keep the van running three days a week, but the program is about to lose one driver, who makes his annual winter migration to Florida.
Trustees constantly put out the call for volunteer drivers. Drivers need to provide a certified copy of their driving records and undergo background checks; those costs can be reimbursed by the township.
Anyone interested in driving the van or who wants more information on rides can call Tabatha Dickson at 330-448-4500.
