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A Dodger Area Rapid Transit bus is parked along South Sixth Street in downtown Fort Dodge in May 2020. The bus system is facing financial challenges as the city reviews its budget.
-Messenger file photo
A Dodger Area Rapid Transit bus is parked along South Sixth Street in downtown Fort Dodge in May 2020. The bus system is facing financial challenges as the city reviews its budget.
The bus system that serves Fort Dodge saw a significant drop in ridership last year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and is also struggling to recruit drivers.
“We cannot even get anyone to apply,” said Kathryn Pfiffner, the executive director of Pathfinders Strategic Partners, which manages the bus system for the city.
Britney Markhardt has joined Pathfinders Strategic Partners as a planner.
In that role, Markhardt will provide grant writing and administration services, ordinance codification, and plan development for communities in the Pathfinders’ region.
Markhardt will also serve as a source of information to help organizations identify funding for projects and provide technical services for various community activities.
“Britney is a graduate of Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science in community and regional planning and a minor in political science. Recently Britney completed a geographic information systems internship with the Iowa Department of Transportation,” said Kathy Pfiffner, executive director. “Britney’s strong writing and analytical skills along with her GIS experience will make her an asset to Pathfinders.”
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Pathfinders Strategic Partners has left its old name behind in 2020 as it seeks to continue providing a variety of services and start new ones with its rebranding in 2021.
The intergovernmental agency, formerly known as the Mid-Iowa Development Association Council of Governments (MIDAS), is a voluntary association of local governments headquartered in Fort Dodge. The 28E agreement organization is known by many for its economic development efforts and for the bus transportation service it provides in Fort Dodge and the six counties in its region – Calhoun, Hamilton, Humboldt, Pocahontas, Webster and Wright. It also provides services in comprehensive planning, grant funding and administration.