The Frederick Board of County Commissioners today announced that Director Sherry Burford will retire after 19 years of service with the Transit Serives Division , effective September 30.
Upon notifying the board of her retirement, Ms. Burford said, in a press release, "It has been an honor to lead the team of dedicated county employees who demonstrate their commitment every day to the citizens of Frederick County. I am confident they will continue to excel in providing quality community transportation services."
Ms. Burford was hired as director of TransIT Services of Frederick County in 1993 to oversee the consolidation of The City of Frederick and county public transportation systems. Since then, community transportation services have grown from three to nine bus routes; three to six shuttle routes; and now includes countywide paratransit for senior citizens and people with disabilities. The fleet went from 19 to 55 vehicles.
During her tenure, annual system ridership more than tripled to nearly 910,000 passenger trips in FY2012. TransIT administration, operations and maintenance moved to a new $2.4 million facility in 1998 that was 90 percent funded by federal and state grants; the county share was 10 percent. The new facility improved operating efficiency by consolidating TransIT maintenance, operations and administrative functions, which were located in three separate facilities and maintenance of the 30-foot transit buses at a city facility.
Board Vice President C. Paul Smith, who serves as liaison to the Transportation Services Advisory Council, commented, "We commend Sherry for her many years of dedication to the citizens of Frederick County and for building an award-winning team of transportation professionals. Due to her strong management skills, TransIT has provided a valuable public service to keep people employed and productive, and allows our residents to have access to jobs, medical facilities, schools, shopping and other essential services. We commend her for her service and wish her the best in her future endeavors."
