Within the next three months, the City of Ripon is expected to begin construction on the compressed natural gas and bus shelter project.

That’s part of the accommodations for the new environmentally-friendly CNG transit bus.

To help foot the cost, the Ripon City Council approved the Notification of Project Eligibility from California Emergency Management Agency – $50,000 here was made possible by the California Transit Assistance Fund – at Tuesday’s meeting.

 All told, four grants, Councilman Leo Zuber pointed out, will help cover the cost for the project. Included is $20,370 for the design and $262,129 for construction.

The expansion and bus shelter project, according to Deputy Executive Director/City Engineer Kevin Werner, will consist of a slow-fill CNG fueling station, a covered parking area for buses and larger vehicles, fencing and civil improvements to the corporate yard.

The city is targeting several milestones for now on the project, including 60-percent completion during the six-month mark ($30,000 is expected to spent by then) and 100-percent completion after 12 months ($50,000 would be expended here).

Meanwhile, the 35-foot CNG transit bus arrived last November. The purchase was made with the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Act.

Services for this transit, for example, go to and from the Save Mart shopping center to Vintage Faire Mall and Target in Modesto.