City councilors will consider changes to Martinsville’s non-emergency transport service during their 5 p.m. work session on Tuesday.
The meeting will be held in Room 208 at the Church Street Municipal Building. Councilors will consider requests to expand the service from its current schedule of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday-Friday. The request calls for the program to run seven days a week and 12 hours a day.
The service was founded in 2021 and has since operated to provide transportation to the hospital in Martinsville. The fire department is working alongside Sovah Health to hash out details of the expansion which could include hiring additional staff.
“These initiatives will have a positive fiscal impact for the City of Martinsville while increasing the level of service provided by the City through the Fire Department,” reads information provided by city staff.
Officials hope they will be able to find grant funding from organizations like United Way.
Opioid abatement funding is also mentioned as a possible source to cover the expansion and other proposed changes. These include the crew standing by at the hospital and hiring two additional staff members.
City councilors will also address Martinsville’s flooding plan during their work session.
Titled the Community Flood Preparedness Study, it serves as a compendium of projects and best practices on how to combat flooding.
The study is based on standards put forth by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
The schools and hospital are not located in areas with a high likelihood of flooding, whereas the water treatment facility is located in a high-hazard area.
“Disruption of the water treatment plant on Clearview Drive would significantly impact residents, visitors, businesses, and other critical services,” reads information provided by the city. “Severe devastation to that facility could impact services for an extended period.”
