About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 26, 2020)
Weekend Edition-December 26-27, 2020 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com LOCAL Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Hall Area Transit has two new trolley buses and will be rolling them out for service in the spring of 2021. TROLLEYS ■ Continued from 1B They could run along such roads as Jesse Jew ell Parkway, Green Street, Main Street, Bradford Street and Academy street, she said. Moss said they prob ably wouldn’t go through the downtown square but stop near it, possibly at the Bre- nau Downtown Center. Still, people “won’t have to worry about turning left and then left just to go down town,” Moss said. “It should be fun, enjoyable and it should encourage people to shop and make (getting to destinations) easier. We want to do something where people only have to wait about 10 minutes — longer than that, they may just want to take their car.” Perhaps the most exciting part: Rides — at least at the beginning — will be free. “We want people to try it out and have fun,” Moss said. “The financial ben efit will be to the restaurants and businesses ... so it all comes back in one form or another.” Trolley routes will have designated stops. Once rid ers are aboard one of the handicapped-accessible vehicles, they pull a cord above one of the seats to ‘We want people to try it out and have fun. The financial benefit will be to the restaurants and businesses ... so it all comes back in one form or another.’ Phillippa Lewis Moss Director of Gainesville-Hall County Community Services alert the driver when their stop is near. The 30-foot trolleys seat about 22 with room for another 10 standing, but those numbers will be kept down during the pandemic, officials say. “Depending on what (COVID-19) does, it could (affect) our plans, but we’re hopeful,” Moss said. The vehicles cost about $160,000 apiece and feature an all-wood exterior, includ ing the seats, floors and sides. They have a lifespan of about 10 to 12 years. The trolleys were paid for mostly with federal money, with 10% each from state and local governments. The first year’s operating costs are free, thanks to money from the federal CARES Act, Director of Gainesville-Hall County Community Services Phillippa Lewis Moss visits one of Hall Area Transit’s two new trolley buses Thursday, Dec. 10, at the Midtown Greenway. distributed earlier this year. Hall Area Transit may expand service to include dinnertime routes, depend ing on popularity, Moss said. Also, the trolleys come with a speaker system and TV screen for special events. It wouldn’t be the area’s first swing at this form of transportation. A trolley ran, starting in the late 1800s and ending in the early 1900s, from the Gainesville square to three destinations, according to Times archives. One route took it down Green Street to the end of Riverside Drive, where residents would go swimming; a second route went from the square to Gainesville Mill; and a third went from downtown to New Holland. Pedestrians at the Midtown Greenway look at one of Hall Area Transit’s two new trolley buses Thursday, Dec. 10. Hall Area Transit may roll out the trolleys for service in the spring of 2021. @your service PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY AND SERVICE GUIDE To place your company’s advertisement, ffW MxatS call us today at 770-535-1199 gainesvilletimes.com North Georgia B F D S - §> Make your woods look like a park Corp Approved Lake Paths and Steps • Trenching Grading/Landscaping • Retaining Walls Timber and Beautiful Anchor Diamond Walls SMALL JOBS O.K. 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