ASHLAND — Liz McClurg was nearly moved to tears Wednesday afternoon.
McClurg, transit coordinator at Ashland Public Transit, stepped back from the microphone to gather herself as she stood on the ground where the future headquarters for the public transit system will be located.
“This facility has been a long time coming and is incredibly important for the future of transit in Ashland — not only the city, but the county. We go up to 100 drive miles away,” she said.
“The big benefit of this facility is it’s going to extend the life of our vehicles and it’s going to give us a safe and reliable place to operate from. This will increase our growth and our longevity and set us up for a very successful future in transit.”
McClurg was one of several local officials who spoke at 303 Union St. during the rainy Wednesday groundbreaking ceremony. The weather certainly did not dampen the mood.
Ashland Mayor Matt Miller highlighted the important role the public transit system plays in the community, whether it’s assisting residents in need of a ride to pick up a prescription or someone who needs a way to the grocery store.
“When people see us (the city) embarking on a project like this — incidentally this is a $2.5 million dollar project — people start asking ‘Why are we spending all that money on that?'” the mayor said.
He followed up that statement with statistics. Miller said Ashland Public Transit in 2025 provided 32,491 rides, which traveled 139,760 miles within the city.
“That’s pretty incredible and that tells you that there is a demand for our service and that’s why we are doing our best to continue to grow the Ashland Public Transit,” the mayor said.
New HQ will cover more than 14,000 square feet
The new 14,500 square-foot transit operations and maintenance facility was made possible by numerous grants, Miller said. The largest grant driving the project is a $1.9 million grant through the Federal Transit Administration.
State Rep. Melanie Miller (R-Ashland) said transportation goes beyond vehicles. It connects people to opportunities.
“The city of Ashland received over $200,000 in a grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation to also help make this project possible,” she said. “That’s definitely an investment in Ashland’s future, for our workforce and for our community.”
Additionally, the city — through Ashland Area Economic Development — received an additional $125,000 grant through the state’s Brownfield Remediation Program to help prep the site for construction.
The mayor said about 12,000 square feet of the future 14,500 square-foot facility will be garage space. The remaining square footage will include a small office space in the front of the facility.
Project estimated to finish June 2027
McClurg originally applied for the federal grant about five years ago, the mayor said.
“We would not be here if it were not for Liz McClurg and all of her hard work, preparing all the budgets, making sure that all the numbers work, working it through the finance office — which can always be a chore — and finally getting us to this point that we are breaking ground,” he said.
Ashland Public Transit’s fleet of 10 vehicles currently park in various spaces in the parking lot behind the Municipal Building — exposed around the clock to all types of weather conditions.
The future facility will allow the entire fleet to be housed indoors and out of the elements when not in use. A climate-controlled environment will also improve working conditions for staff, the mayor said.
“This will be a wonderful thing for the community, but it will be a wonderful thing to enhance the efficiency of (McClurg’s) operation as well,” Miller said.
Ashland also has regional bus access through GoBus, which currently makes its stop at the McDonald’s along U.S. 250, McClurg said.
Once the new transit facility is complete at the corner of Third and Union streets, it will be the site where the GoBus makes its stop in the city.
“Our lobby is designed to be secure so that folks can be waiting (inside) when we are also closed,” the transit coordinator said.
Simonson Construction Services is handling both the design and construction of the new HQ after being awarded the contract by Ashland City Council back in March.
Dustin Beattie, Simonson president, said the business appreciates working on projects in the community that make a big difference.
“This is one of those things, so it’s pretty cool,” Beattie said.
According to the mayor, the project is estimated to be finished in June 2027.
