Archuleta County Transportation Coordinator Andrew Mylroie recently spoke to the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) during a work session held on Tuesday, Sept. 15, in regard to a grant award the county recently received for a new body-on-chassis bus.
Mylroie commented that “these are the big buses we run round Pagosa Springs.”
He added, “Honestly this award surprised me. It came out of nowhere, but it’s a good problem to have.”
Mylroie explained that the grant would allow the county’s Transportation Department to get an “expansion bus” rather than a replacement bus.
“We don’t have to get rid of anything,” he said.
Mylroie indicated that he believes the grant award “got pushed through” because the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is “looking to get the daily route to Durango up and running.”
He mentioned that CDOT “is already allocating funds for that.”
Mylroie also explained that the “bus comes with its own operating funds, which is huge.”
He noted that two out of the three big buses the county currently has have already had engine replacements, and one with 254,000 miles is “nearing end of life.”
Mylroie also noted that these buses rack up about 200 miles a day of “stop and go, rough miles.”
He went on to explain that, “of course, there’s always a local match” tied to the grant, indicating the county would have to cover a 20 percent match.
The total cost for the bus is $255,660, which leaves an awarded amount of $204,528 and a county match of $51,132, he explained.
Mylroie was joined by Public Works Director Mike Torres, who commented that the county “would be getting a quarter-million-dollar bus for $50,000.”
He reiterated Mylroie’s comment about the daily mileage the Transportation Department’s buses travel.
Torres indicated that the buses the county currently uses get almost 100,000 miles a year “just from traveling around Pagosa.”
Mylroie mentioned that about $2.6 million in operating funds are tied to the bus, but that the local match portion has not been worked out yet.
In response to a question from Commissioner Veronica Medina, Mylroie explained that it would be a gasoline-powered bus.
Medina also asked how many buses the county is currently waiting on, referencing an electric transit van that the county ordered through a grant it received in January 2024 and has yet to receive.
Mylroie explained that the county is still waiting on the electric transit van, and has also signed a contract for a propane-powered bus.
Medina asked if the county currently has a bus that could cover a daily route to Durango, with Mylroie indicating, “It would be tricky.”
Mylorie explained that the new bus would be used for routes between Pagosa Springs and Durango, noting that is something CDOT wants to see happen.
“I’m confident we could make it work,” Mylroie added in regard to Medina’s question.
In response to a question from Commissioner John Ranson, Mylroie explained that he was requesting the $51,000 match to be included in the county’s 2027 budget.
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