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John's Usual --
CLI has been fortunate enough to qualify for partial ODOT funding for 3 wheelchair vans in 2026. We now have all 3 vehicles in service in our fleet, which means that we can start selling some of our 2015 & 2016 passenger vans. We've restickerd our oldest wheelchair van to be a backup document destruction vehicle that can also be used to shuttle shred crew employees to public free shred events. Obviously, I still need to do something about the missing hubcap . . .
Our 3rd and final van that we got this year is an electric ford transit. We'll be using it for shorter trips, whether around Norwalk or along the Route 20 corridor. I'm very curious to see how it does for us. The upside should be much less maintenance. The downside is how many miles between charging-- especially in the winter cold. We now have 3 electric vehicles in our fleet and I think overall they serve their purpose. The operating costs are much lower even when gas is less than $3/gallon. However, because of how long rural commutes can be, hybrid vans are a better fit-- although the full-size vans don't seem to come in a hybrid-- and weirdly enough the only engine I've had to replace in the last 2 years was in a 3 year old Toyota Sienna hybrid (just after the drivetrain warranty expired).
CLI & Firelands Local have each been investing in infrastructure & maintenance this spring/summer. We've got a lot going on. There's the Kenilee ADA wheelchair accessibility project (pictures are coming I promise), the east wall masonry repairs to 16 West Main Street, the new ODOT vans that still require pretty significant CLI cash matches, and some overdue improvements in the workshop building-- including finally putting company information on Firelands Local's 2 trucks.
One final reminder about attendance-- CLI has had to implement a waiting list to take new clients. We will be going back to look at individual attendance to see if we might be holding spots for a few individuals that aren't using our services very often. So, if you have been absent quite a bit and want to keep your spot with CLI, reach out to Holly or Haven. Otherwise, CLI might advise you that we can't be a willing provider any longer so that we can offer your spot to someone else. It's ok if you don't want to participate in CLI services. We will support your choices, but we just won't be able to keep you on our roster if you aren't able to show up.
That's all I have. There is plenty of summer left, so if you have something that's on your 2026 summer bucket list, let us know and I'll bet we can find other people who'd like to jump in on it too! Have a nice weekend!
John
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