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Miss Dolly Trolley is ready to roll again

Miss Dolly Trolley will once again be rolling along in Schuylkill County.

Commissioners on Wednesday, with Commissioner Gary J. Hess absent, agreed to give the six-wheel, 26-passenger bus, decked out to look like a trolley, to the City of Pottsville.City Council is expected to formally accept the gift when it meets next at 6 p.m. Monday, said Commissioners' Chairman George F. Halcovage Jr.Pottsville Mayor James T. Muldowney did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.The Schuylkill Transportation Authority is also expected to approve the transfer."We contacted PennDOT with Rep. Mike Tobash, because we felt that with the revitalization of Pottsville and throughout the county that we're working toward that the trolley could serve as good transportation for any special events that may be going on," Halcovage said.The trolley would take visitors among points of interest such as the downtown, Yuengling Brewery, and the courthouse, he said."PennDOT has agreed that we can sign off to give the trolley to Pottsville," Halcovage said.Communities may rent/lease the trolley from the city for their own events, such as Tamaqua's Summerfest, according to a memorandum of understanding.The city will pay for any taxes and fees associated with the title transfer, and will not sell the trolley, which has about 30,000 miles on it, without the Transportation Authority's permission.The county in October 2016 decided to sell the trolley, purchased in 2007 to be rented out for special events, after a change in federal rules prohibited the county from doing that.Miss Dolly Trolley had been used for a special route connecting Pottsville and the Hometown Farmers Market during the summers.The county set a bid floor of $50,000 for the vehicle. But the sole offer, from Mark Gaudino, whose address was unavailable, was for $2,126.Miss Dolly Trolley was named for 34-year STS bus driver and operations safety supervisor Dorothy "Dolly" Vinchofsky Kuehn.According to her obituary, Kuehn retired May 12, 2013, but immediately returned as operations coordinator until illness forced her to stop.Kuehn died on Feb. 3, 2016, in Hurricane, West Virginia.