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Committee charged with drafting town e-van plan

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Serena Kirby, Denmark Bulletin

A committee has been formed to help secure an electric commuter van.

The move is to reduce social isolation, created by Denmark’s lack of community transport.

This commuter van will offer a green transportation option for community groups and residents.

It aims to provide transport for bringing residents into Denmark’s town centre and to have a transport link to Albany, one or two days a week.

It is anticipated that the vehicle could clock up about 40,000km a year.

Committee member Gillian Corker said the van would ideally have the capacity to carry 11 people which would enable volunteers using a standard driver’s licence to drive it.

The committee was looking at suitable vehicles and would like a van that included a wheelchair lift.

Gillian said the committee would like to hear from people who use a wheelchair and who may use the van’s service so this need could be confirmed.

“We also want to hear from people about how this (the van) would impact their lives and what a difference it would make to the community,” she said.

The cost of the van is expected to be almost $200,000 and the committee was seeking Lottery-west funding to add to the $40,000 already secured from the Denmark Community Foundation.

Fellow-committee member Petra Thompson said ‘community buy-in’ was needed and could be indicated via a recently-established GoFundMe page.

“It doesn’t matter how little or how much you donate and, even if you donate $1, as it’s all about showing Lotterywest that a high number of community members support the project,” Petra said.

“Of course we’d also love to secure more funds from a major donor.”

The committee is talking to the Shire about ‘in-kind’ support as well as looking for sponsorship from local businesses.

To show support and make a donation look for ‘Denmark Community eBus’ on the GoFundMe website or contact the Denmark Community Resource Centre on 9848 2842.

Denmark Bulletin 12 September 2024

This article appeared in the Denmark Bulletin, 12 September 2024.

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