Eighty percent of that cost would be covered by a grant from the Federal Transportation Authority with the remaining twenty percent to be paid by the city.

Public Works Director Terry Wolterstorff says, "Every so many years those buses do need to be replaced. We put a lot of miles on them in a year. We would like to see them replaced every 5-7 years if possible. Of course, the federal grant plays a big role in that so without the federal funding it would be very difficult to replace those buses on the schedule we'd like to see."

The city's Public Works Committee unanimously approved the request for the seven new buses.  The request will go before the full Rapid City Council next Monday for final approval.

Darren Leeds