LINCOLN - Menard County has joined Logan and Mason counties in a partnership working to upgrade public transportation.

Menard County could help the transit partnership complete a state grant application and provide more resources to create a more regional transportation system, said Angela Stolzenburg, the executive director of the Community Action Partnership. She has been serving as the coordinator for the project.

Each of the counties could be eligible for $245,000 if the grant is approved, but completing the application won't guarantee they will get the money, she said.

A major hurdle still in front of the partnership is getting at least 10 percent of the population in each county to fill out surveys. If the partnership doesn't meet that threshold, the grant application can't be filed.

"We haven't had enough of the community survey results completed, and if that doesn't happen, we can't get any of the funding," she said. "We think that by adding Menard, we can all help each other with the process, including collecting the surveys."

Survey forms are available at several locations in the three counties, including public libraries, employment offices and the Community Action Partnership office at 1800 Fifth St., Lincoln.

It also is available online at www.capcil.org.

The public survey portion of the application must be done by Oct. 31 if the partnership is to stay on schedule.

"It only takes about five minutes and it is crucial to the success of this grant application," she said, noting the tally still is "a few hundred" shy of the goal.

Logan County Board Chairman Dick Logan has encouraged Logan County residents to submit a survey.

"This will be such a huge opportunity for our county to improve our rural transportation needs," he said. "That's a lot of money that can be used to help our citizens."

In addition to the survey, the group must identify transportation needs, show all agencies and groups are willing to coordinate their efforts to improve transportation, write a plan to alleviate those needs, prioritize the needs and plan to alleviate each problem area.

The next scheduled meeting for the transit partnership will be Nov. 17 in Mason City.