ASHLAND — The city took its first step Tuesday toward providing its transit department with a new headquarters that officials say is large enough to double its size, impact and accessibility.
Council unanimously approved the $150,000 purchase of vacant land at the intersection of Third and Union streets downtown.
Ashland Public Transit, established in January 2018, has a fleet of nine vehicles. Soon, the fleet will reach 10 with the addition of a 14-passenger vehicle, said Liz McClurg, the city’s transit coordinator.
She said the 14,000 square-foot building, if constructed, will have room for its 14-person staff, a mechanical working area, storage and 20 bays. The building could also feature a wash bay, a small waiting area for clients and bathrooms, McClurg said.
The headquarters could also be a hub for commercial buses such as Greyhound GoBUS, which transports people from Columbus to Cleveland and has stops in cities such as Mansfield and Akron.
The building has an estimated price tag of anywhere between $1 million and $1.5 million, Mayor Matt Miller said.
“This is a really big deal,” McClurg said, adding she and other city officials have worked for several years to find a location for Ashland Public Transit to grow.
“This opens us up to many more options.”
McClurg is now working on putting together a $1.5 million grant application to the Ohio Department of Transportation. It is due in mid-January.
If the grant application is denied, Miller has signaled the city’s willingness to tap its federally allocated American Rescue Plan dollars to fund the project. The city is slated to receive $2.1 million by June 2022.
“It is a priority,” Miller said. “It serves all populations, genders, abilities. Young or old — everybody needs transportation.”
Council President Steve Workman said public transit “is something we should do” at Tuesday’s meeting. Councilman Dennis Miller agreed, calling it a “vital public service.”
The mayor said putting the site downtown makes it walkable for people who live nearby and who will live nearby when apartment buildings are completed at the nearby Pumphouse and Hess & Clark sites.
The transit system has grown in operation since becoming a city department in 2018, McClurg said. She pointed to its addition of two vehicles since 2018 and an increase in three additional full-time runs.
“Demand has gone up. We respond by providing more service,” she said.
Ashland Public Transit provides service on an appointment basis. It does not have fixed routes that are typically found in larger metro areas. Fixed routes also mean larger buses to accommodate for the larger amount of people, McClurg said.
“That’s a different funding stream altogether. And so we would have to justify the need for a fixed route. We don’t have the demand for that style transportation. We have an aging population and a lot more people who stay in their homes than in bigger cities,” she said.
McClurg sees using smaller buses, ones that can carry up to eight passengers, as the transit system grows.
The transit system, located in the first floor of the Ashland city building on Claremont Avenue, operates from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is closed Sundays and all major holidays.
