RALEIGH -- When high-level federal officials come down from Washington, they're usually here to snip ribbons on multimillion-dollar construction projects or to hand out checks with lots of commas and zeroes.
The grant announced Wednesday in Wake County by Ray LaHood, President Barack Obama's transportation secretary, was for a mere $601,661.
That's just 1.7 percent of a total $34.6 million in grants awarded Wednesday in 55 communities across the United States for the Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative, a new program to improve transportation options for veterans and military families.
Wake County Human Services will use the money to establish a 24-hour "one call, one click" communication center to improve the transportation services it provides to rural residents through Medicaid, public health and other programs.
"This will make it possible for veterans and their families to check bus and van schedules online or over the phone, or to schedule rides with vanpools and private transportation companies," LaHood said, flanked by local veterans in a ceremony at Wake County's A.A. Thompson Center in East Raleigh.
Veterans make up about 6 percent of the county population, but the telephone and Internet service will benefit other residents as well. Wake provides more than 300,000 trips a year for nearly 150,000 people.
LaHood flew to Raleigh after announcing a similar grant for $1.9 million in Jacksonville, Fla.
"We're making this announcement all over the country, but we wanted to be here in your city to honor the work of the services that are already being provided," LaHood said. Later, he added, "Obviously, I could have been anywhere else in America today."
