10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 13-19, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com At its meeting April 14, the Monterey-Salinas Transit board is set to award a contract to a firm to conduct the Salinas Transit Center Relocation and East Alisal Bus Rapid Transit Planning Study. Word salad aside, it’s a kind of milestone, and begins the long-envisioned project to move the transit center closer to Alisal, where most of the agency’s customers live. The study is being funded by a $463,100 grant that Caltrans awarded MST last year, and is being matched by $20,000 each from MST, the City of Salinas and Taylor Farms. Along with planning a bus rapid transit corridor in East Alisal, that study will also look at potential locations for a new transit center. “We’ve just never had a viable place to go, and money to do the studies,” says Carl Sedoryk, MST’s general manager, who adds that building something else on the property—a hotel, perhaps, or housing—has been discussed for years. But MST’s L-shaped parcel is only 0.8 acres, and redeveloping it would likely require, according to a recent MST report, “assembling adjacent parcels.” The board is also set to award the final contract to construct the controversial SURF! Busway project, which Sedoryk says remains on schedule as the agency works through preconstruction conditions with the California Coastal Commission. “I’m not seeing anything that’s a showstopper,” he says. The project’s price tag—which last fall was pegged at just over $90 million—has been rising, however, and March 10, the board approved a $3.1 million addition to a $5.85 million contract with Accenture for construction oversight. Sedoryk says SURF! will be done by March 2028, despite two pending lawsuits against the Transportation Agency for Monterey County, which owns the easement where SURF! is planned to be built. Also notable on MST’s radar is that the agency is exploring the possibility of double-decker buses on Line 23 from Salinas to King City, as MST doesn’t allow passengers to stand when a bus is on Highway 101 due to safety concerns. There’s been a big boost of ridership on the line in the past year, which Sedoryk attributes to a boost in in-person enrollment at Hartnell College last year. Sedoryk says the hope is for the agency’s drivers to be able to test out one of the buses for a month sometime this spring, without paying passengers on board. Financial aid applications had a rough start last year for an application cycle that began on Dec. 1, with a twomonth delay to fix glitches in the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) platform. On Feb. 25, the California Student Aid Commission announced the financial aid deadline would be extended to April 2, an additional 30 days. According to CSAC, as of Feb. 9, statewide applications from high school seniors were fewer when compared to previous years. “Ensuring our students can access the aid they need is our highest priority, and we hope that this additional time allows every student to complete a financial aid application and make college more affordable,” said Daisy Gonzales, CSAC’s executive director. According to CSAC, last year, 3,885 students from Monterey County submitted FAFSA or California Dream Act (state financial aid for undocumented students) applications; this year, as of March 11, numbers are down, with just 3,019 applications so far. At CSU Monterey Bay, FAFSA application numbers are up with 8,240 new applications for the upcoming school year as of March 4, versus 7,668 from the 2024-25 school year. “We are pleased to report that students and families are successfully submitting their applications online, marking a significant improvement in the FAFSA process,” says Angeles Fuentes, CSUMB’s director of financial aid. Hartnell College last year received 12,502 applications for financial aid. As of March 3, they’ve only had 4,976 applicants, a significant decrease. Jessica Tovar, director of financial aid at Harnell, thinks there are two reasons why numbers are down. One is students experiencing technical issues with completing their 20252026 applications. The other is fear from students and parents about sharing information because of concerns about their immigration status. Students can apply until June, but if they miss the April 2 deadline, they may not receive financial aid from the state. Move On MST continues to take steps toward a regional bus rapid transit network. By David Schmalz NEWS NEWS FROM THE NORTH Monterey County District 2 Supervisor Glenn Church hosts a town hall meeting focused on the Oak Hills neighborhood. 6-7:30pm Thursday, March 13. North County Recreation and Parks District, 11261 Crane St., Castroville. Free. 755-5022, district2@countyofmonterey.gov. STEAM WORKS The STEAM Family Science Day showcases the world of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics through a series of competitions and other events. 10am-2pm Saturday, March 15. Hartnell College, 411 Central Ave., Salinas. Free. 755-6810, hartnellfoundation.org. VALLEY VIEWS Carmel Valley Association’s annual meeting includes a Q&A session with Monterey County District 5 Supervisor Kate Daniels, a presentation by Jeff Ohlson of the Carmel Valley Historical Society and more. 3-5pm Sunday, March 16. Hidden Valley Music Seminars, 104 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. Free. carmelvalleyassociation.org. HELPING HANDS Alliance on Aging is searching for volunteers, and hosts an open house on its programs. 10am-2pm Wednesday, March 19. Alliance on Aging, 236 Monterey St., Salinas and 280 Dickman Ave., Monterey. Free. 655-1334, allianceonaging.org. TALENT ON TAP The Monterey County STEM Talent Expo is designed to connect leaders in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields to students and the public looking to explore careers in these areas. 1-5pm Wednesday, March 19. Hartnell College STEM Center lobby, 411 Central Ave., Building S, Salinas. Free. mcstemtalentexpo.com. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS The Monterey County Immigration Rights Ad Hoc Committee hosts an immigration forum plus a resource fair that includes attorneys, the Mexican Consul General and more. 5-6pm (resource fair), 6-7:30pm (speakers) Wednesday, March 19. Seaside High School, 2200 Noche Buena St., Seaside. Free. 726-6032. GET INVOLVED The City of Monterey seeks residents to fill vacancies on the Architectural Review Committee, Building and Housing Appeals Board and the Neighborhood and Community Improvement Program Committee. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. 646-3935, monterey.gov/ bcc. College Fund Financial aid deadlines are extended because applications are down. By Celia Jiménez The existing Salinas Transit Center (above) is located in downtown Salinas. A relocation study would examine moving the hub to the Alisal, where more MST riders live. E-MAIL: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX “I’m not seeing anything that’s a showstopper.” DANIEL DREIFUSS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==