AATA aims for fall start of $5M bus terminal in downtown Ann Arbor
Work on the new downtown bus terminal for the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority should begin this fall as the existing Blake Transit Center is demolished to make room for a new, two-story structure.
The Ann Arbor Transit Authority board of directors authorized the selection of a firm to manage the project, which also includes expansion of the AATA’s bus storage facility at their Thursday night meeting.
The Blake Transit Center’s plans call for a two-story, 6,000-square-foot facility to replace the current one-story, 2,000-square-foot building at 331 S. Fourth Ave.
The storage facility at 2700 South Industrial Highway will see an approximately 20,000-square-foot expansion estimated at $2 million.
The contract awarded to Spence Brothers is for up to $384,000, which is about 6 percent of the projects’ estimated cost. That figure is within the industry norm of 4 to 7 percent of a project’s total cost, according to the AATA.
Board member Rich Robben told the board the price is a top-end estimate and he expects it will be lower once the contract is negotiated.
Terry Black, AATA manager of maintenance, said officials are hoping the projects will be completed within 14 to 16 months after work begins. Throughout construction, the current transit center will remain in operation.
Request for proposals were advertised locally and nationally, and 11 firms responded. Black, who was part of the selection committee, said Spence Brothers was most qualified for the job.
“They met the requirements of the RFP, they have the experience necessary to oversee the project, and we feel comfortable moving forward with them,” he said.
Drawings for the storage facility are about 75 percent complete, Black said. When complete, the facility will be able to house up to 30 more buses.
The AATA has secured about $4.2 million in federal and state dollars for the transit center project, including the $1 million U.S. Department of Transportation's State of Good Repair Grant program it was awarded in October.
Aside from expanded bus capacity, the new transit center’s features include a modernized ticket office, a spacious lobby area, training and meeting rooms and a break area for bus drivers. Community relations manager Mary Stasiak said floorplans are complete and officials are now planning the building’s aesthetics.
The AATA held several meetings over the winter with downtown stakeholders to discuss the project and what they would like to see in the building, Stasiak said. One of the features discussed was a 10-foot “green” walkway between Fourth and Fifth avenues. The AATA would need to obtain that land from the neighboring federal building, and Black said that effort is under way.
He also said he is pleased with the entire project’s overall direction.
“I think the challenge in front of us at this point is to make it a landmark facility that meets the needs of customers as well as needs of our staff,” Black said.
“There are a lot of things to be considered in that process, and we’re being methodical with our approach and involving the community in the decision-making process.
"This is their building as well as our building, and those things take time.”
Comments
Goofus
Sat, May 21, 2011 : 2:29 a.m.
Great. this more of less squares up with the time that street a block over will finally re-open from the underground parking debacle. Now the city planners can make sure their goal to have one vital thoroughfare shutdown and tied up with construction every single year can be met.
fight hunger
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 10:24 p.m.
yes iam so happy cannot wait to see our new building
UM Rocks
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 6:36 p.m.
So we are going to have construction at the library AND bus terminal downtown at the same time?? With 5th Ave already closed, 4th Ave has been a nightmare (especially from the bus drivers themselves who aren't courteous in letting people out of the structure at 4th and William). This should be a lot of fun (sarcasm intended)!!!!!
Tanzor
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 5:42 p.m.
AATA – 5,000,000 for a new bus terminal funded by federal and DOT monies. Hay people - WAKE UP, the federal government and DOT do not have any money. We as a nation "US" are flat out broke and over 14,300,000,000,000 dollars in debt. Monies to fund AATA are borrowed from China. AATA operates at a tremendous deficit and is totally dependant on government subsidies for its survival. I believe mass transit is necessary in Ann Arbor and the need for AATA does exist, however there is huge inefficiencies in its operation. Take route "13" for example, the bus run empty much of the time, day in and day out, allot of wasted fuel and resources. There are numerous mid morning and mid afternoon buses that run most of the time without passengers – eliminate them. AATA wants to radically expand it services with its "Smart growth" plan. There is nothing smart about this plan. Capital requirements of 566,000,000 dollars and minimum annual operation cost of 50,000,000 + are just plain crazy. We all must learn to live and operate within out means and that includes AATA.
nunya
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 5:27 p.m.
According to the AATA website, it operates at a loss. That means there is not enough bus fare and taxpayer money collected to break even. So, they have to go and get more money. This grant is a perfect example of Michigan not focusing on the absolute essentials to fix our local economy. Even if it is a good business case it should not be a priority. And, please rsa, do not say that more bus services will create jobs. The fact is we build cars here and most people are employed in this area thanks to the automotive industry. Less cars means less jobs for us. Maybe that's not good for the environment, but, it is a fact.
Les Gov
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 4:52 p.m.
WHAT A WASTE!!! WHAT A DISGRACE!!! I use the Blake center twice a day, or more, almost every day. There is nothing wrong with the Blake that a little maintenance wouldn't take care of. The Blake provides us with the basic services, which is what a tax payer funded building should do. I do not want my tax dollars spent on some luxury like the Detroit Library. Someone needs to be held accountable and maybe put in a room next to Kwame if this 25 year old building truly needs to be replaced. It is unbelievable that our tax dollars are being spent to replace buildings after only 25 years. ( Although, replacing a building every 25 years means the historically commission is taken out of the picture, that's the one good thing about this.) The City of Ann Arbor claims it is so green. It IS NOT!!
DBlaine
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 3:07 p.m.
I love the predictable "nobody rides the bus" commenters who are opposed to spending money on anything but roads -- which are quite heavily subsidized. People DO ride the bus. I ride the 609 quite frequently. It is PACKED. And I would love more frequent service.
Peter Jameson
Sat, May 21, 2011 : 7:12 a.m.
after all, we vote with our pocketbook
thinker
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 12:31 p.m.
More money spent, nobody asks the taxpayer, nobody rides the bus.... Same old story.....
A2LIFER
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 3:27 p.m.
The #5 is full on my way to work and home and it doesnt go to any UM lots or even any park and rides
rayjay
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 3:21 p.m.
People actually do ride the bus. Questions I ponder are : Why do we have an airport? Who uses that?
Soothslayer
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 2:11 p.m.
Oh the AATA will show you data on tons of riders at peak hours. Mainly from UM commuter lots and those riders could be serviced by UM busses. how many bus systems do we need here? (AATA, UM, K-12, etc)
A2LIFER
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 1:51 p.m.
My biggest complaint is that the buses are too crowded when im going to work.
Hargy
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 12:24 p.m.
What's wrong with this sentence: "...which also includes expansion of the AATA's bus storage facility at their Thursday night meeting.?" This is just ONE example of extremely poor writing--every day I read errors like this in Ann Arbor.com. Your online paper is no better than the Ann Arbor News. The only difference is that it is now easier to voice my frustration! This is a highly- educated community, so you must be very embarrassed!
Carole
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 12:19 p.m.
Love the buses and have used them many times. But, like some of the other comments, the present facility is not all that old. Maybe more thought should have gone into the original to insure that it would meet the needs for the future. Question: Are the contractors for this project from Michigan and if not, why?
rsa221
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 12:09 p.m.
I gather that spending tax dollars on anything but road improvents is generally unpopular with a2.com commentors. Anyway, this sounds like a desirable improvement that will provide dividends, and I pay city taxes. You can say I'm fiscally ignorant, but city services are one reason I choose to live in Ann Arbor. The more people getting around on AATA buses, powered by hybrid electric technology, the cleaner our air is and hopefully the roads are less congested. The additions to the fleet should also pave the way for added driver *jobs.* I'm also hoping the green walkway happens. Perhaps this is akin to the eventual need for a new main branch library/community center. The main branch seems fine from the outside, and inside to some degree, but apparently there is more than meets the eye and it is aging in key ways. That seems to be a case in which infrastructure improvements would add up to be more costly than a rebuild (with the added long-term savings of being more energy efficient than the mid-1900s structure).
A2LIFER
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 3:25 p.m.
According to the manufacturer they use 35% less fuel than conventional buses.
Soothslayer
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 2:10 p.m.
There's a cure for ignorance: education. Hybrid busses only improve braking maintenance, not too much fuel/C02 savings. A fleet of private vehicles servicing the needs of these riders would be far more efficient than the massive busses. The jobs would be preserved as they would be shifted to the private sector and more cost/energy savings could (and would) be realized (capitalism: econ 101). This is precicely why Mega Bus is a faster, better & cheaper solution than Amtrak. Who needs a structure? Sell the prime real estate downtown and generate tax revenue from it!
AfterDark
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 12:56 p.m.
If the transit center was from the mid-1900s it might be different but it was just built in 1987!!! As far as energy efficiencies go don't underestimate what can be done with older buildings. Edison did a fantastic job with Henry Ford's Fairlane Estate a few years ago and the minor changes aren't even noticeable to the general public.
Soothslayer
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 12:03 p.m.
Gee why is it every time the AATA launches some idea people are opposed to it? Because it's behaving just like any other government funded bureaucracy (cough *UM* cough) pursuing its own interests of growth and power regardless if that's what's actually best for the community & taxpayer. The AATA is a bloated public service organization fueled mainly by tax dollars (fed, city or state.. its all paid for by citizens somewhere) and, just perhaps, the discussions of 30 year plans are a bit far reaching and, just perhaps, the funds the AATA spends to fuel its entire operation could be used more efficiently and in a more eco friendly way by offsetting ride costs to those who need assistance with private passenger car, van & bus service. Excepting for the rush hour when some busses may be full the rest of the day they're mostly empty. Hey Snyder hows this for a crazy jobs building and progressive idea: take the additional $500M in gas tax revenue (supposed to be used for roads) and use it as a down payment to build a loop monorail or otherwise elevated train from 23/Plymouth - downtown - westgate - briarwood hitting all the park & rides? Then we can bring in a feeder line from EMU. This could be powered by energy we make right here at Fermi. The rest of the services required would be from private companies which could be subsidized for low income riders.
goingfast3579
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 12:01 p.m.
I would think a well constructed building would last 50 years at least. At least a local company is involved. Hopefully with local workers.
Mike
Sat, May 21, 2011 : 2:46 a.m.
It will be a union project paying more than most construction workers make locally. It's required if it uses tax dollars. Boy, aren't we tax payers lucky? I've know many union officials and worker who won't hire union painters to paint their own house....too expensive, unless their spending your money.
Mike D.
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 11:58 a.m.
The AATA costs taxpayers so obscenely much money that a fleet of chauffeured Rolls-Royce stretch limos to cart around the poor would cost less.
Are you serious?
Sat, May 21, 2011 : 1:09 a.m.
Obviously never ridden the bus. When I worked downtown it was a lot cheaper an more convenient to ride the bus and not have to pay for parking.
treetowncartel
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 4:52 p.m.
Wow, you think public transportation is only for poor people?
AfterDark
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 11:24 a.m.
This newish habit of believing buildings have a short lifespan is garbage. The current transit center is not that old.
InsideTheHall
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 10:49 a.m.
This is a complete and total waste of taxpayer dollars. Capacity for 30 more buses??????????? AATA is a failed institution. Evidence the 30 year utopian transit plan that is being force fed to the public. One simple question: Do the Express Routes meet operating expenses? Second simple question: The private sector Michigan Flyer makes money with their airport shuttle. Why reinvent the wheel when it is proven that the private sector can more efficiently provide public transport? First hard question: Why not bid out the bus transport needs of the Ann Arbor area so AATA has a little competition? Just asking.
kenUM
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 3:25 p.m.
@InsideTheHall, I like your questions, hopefully this will help. AATA needs room for 30 more buses so that when AATA takes over the U-M bus service they will have the storage area for the additional buses. What taxpayers do not understand is now they will be paying DOUBLE for the bus service. Why? Because you pay taxes to both U-M and AATA, then U-M pays AATA to provide this service. The Express service does not pay for itself; however, this is another way that U-M subsidizes AATA which in turn provides a bus that may at some point be utilized, If U-M did not pay the money it does for M-Ride, AATA would be one of those hard hit Transit Authorities that are experiencing huge service cuts. Bidding out bus services for the A2 area would be difficult due to the helping hand that the Feds and State give to AATA. AATA is the designated recipient for Federal Funds from the Government (I.E the renovations to the BTC and Bus purchases, etc)