Committee to recommend site for CU bus station

The Plans and Policy Committee of the Board of Public Utilities tomorrow will recommend that the governing board of City Utilities chooses a 2.7-acre site at College Street. and Main Avenue for construction and relocation of its downtown bus transfer station.

The hearing will be held during the board's Sept. 27 meeting at 3 p.m. in CU's C. Frank Knox Board Room, 301 E. Central St.

According to a CU news release, the vacant proposed site comprises property owned by five separate entities or individuals - represented on the Greene County assessor's website as Cherry Prop Ltd., JM EC LORE LLC, Marguerite Lee, Nouvelle Realty LLC and SWDFOR LLC. CU spokesman Joel Alexander said there are no businesses at the proposed site, and there is a vacant house that would need to be demolished if the site is chosen.

CU has performed three site studies of the proposed location. The total cost of constructing a transfer station at College and Main and relocating CU's current transfer station from McDaniel Street and Patton Avenue would cost approximately $3.9 million, the release said.

Plans to relocate and construct a new transfer station started in 2006 after the Federal Transit Administration provided $1.63 million and another $1.47 million in 2008, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

In the years since the funding was received, relocation plans have been delayed by funding hurdles and scrapped projects in the north, east and south quadrants of downtown.[[In-content Ad]]