Schuylkill County's public transportation system is on a $1.9 million roll.

On Wednesday, commissioners authorized the county's 2014-2015 application to the state Department of Transportation for transit-related improvement projects.The projects include expanding and renovating the Schuylkill Transportation System's office and maintenance building in Saint Clair at a cost of $1.5 million, and replacing five 8- to 14-passenger accessible small transit buses for $372,400.The improvements also include buying five narrow band capable two-way mobile radios for $7,500; and one maintenance support vehicle for $35,050.The total cost of the upgrades comes to $1,933,750.The projects will be paid through $1.54 million in federal money, $328,606 in state funds and a local match commitment in the amount of $64,144. The local match is for 2015."It's really needed," said Commissioner George Halcovage. "STS needs additional space, and to get the building up to meeting its current needs. We need new equipment to service buses, and from a staffing standpoint, we're pretty cramped over there."The building was dedicated in 1988.If accepted, the project would be one of about a dozen PennDOT takes on each year.Halcovage said the county is "cautiously optimistic" of the application's success."The STS staff had put together an excellent proposal to the state," he said."STS and our consultants have met with PennDOT, and things sound very good right now," Halcovage said. "However, we have to be realistic. It has to fit into the budget. STS is run efficiently, and I'm sure that's one of the things the state is looking at."STS director Mike Micko is confident the state will approve the application."I'm sure they will. It's been put into the grant system," he said.Micko said the first steps toward the building expansion began about a year and a half ago. Engineers have done a study that resulted in two alternatives: either knock down the administration area, or expand it out into the building.The extra space is needed, given increased technology and the need for more staff, Micko said."We just grew out of it," he said.Micko retires Friday after 34 years, and the transportation board has appointed director of transit operations David Bekisz to replace him.