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Columbia Bus Barn


Spartan

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I think that the most frustrating part about all of this stuff with the bus barn is that if they do relocate to Lucius Rd. there are going to be problems with getting out of that site (more so than on Sunset), and then the buses have to go all the way out to Greystone and I 26 before they can even get to start their routes. It's going to turn into a fare increase for bus riders. I understand the concerns of residents not wanting buses driving all through their neighborhood, but it's still frustrating to see the RTA in a situation where they are trying to live off of the money given to them by SCANA/SCE&G and build up their fare revenue. The hike in fares could have significant and negative impacts for bus riders and RTA.

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Mayor Bob said the left turn was going to cost the city $300-400,000 per year. I cannot figure that out. There are about 40 routes. Taking the Lucius road site and adding the distance from the current site gives 3.7 miles down River Dr. and 4.2 miles down Greystone. This is conservative..moving the hub will make the center closer to some routes and further away for others. How does .5 miles and say 2 minutes for each visit to the hub add up to $300 grand for 40 routes a day. Maybe they go back to the hub ten times a day?

Technologically a left turn can be solved for the buses..They could have an on board gadget like the fire trucks do.

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i think there was a post somewhere in here about the old bus barn site on huger st. possibly being developed as office buildings or for commercial use (something having to do with guinard?). i would imagine that will be a long time in coming if the site is as polluted as they are leading us to believe it is.

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here it be......

From that article...

Just up Huger Street from Kline Iron & Steel is the former South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. bus barn. The city is acquiring the property as part of the agreement that gave ownership of the bus system to a regional transit authority.

The approximately 4 acres are not likely to be developed for residential use because of environmental concerns related to fuels and chemicals used on the property over the years, said Jim Gambrell, the city

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I rode through there last night cutting over to Blanding. I guess the city owned property referred to in the last sentence is the SCANA electrical farm? It's wall to wall transformers in there. I'm no electrician but it looked like an enormous project to move that out of there. It's all across the back side of the museum.

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  • 1 month later...

Here's the latest on the Bus Barn from TheState.com...

Forum to focus on bus barn site

Midlands transit authority to present plans for relocating headquarters

By JOHN C. DRAKE

Staff Writer

Members of the public will get their first look Saturday at plans to locate a bus barn and headquarters on Lucius Road off River Drive in Earlewood.

Columbia City Council and the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority have been discussing the proposed site behind closed doors for months.

The public forum will be a drop-in meeting from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Bostic Auditorium of the Richland County Public Library, 1431 Assembly St.

Illustrations and maps will be available, and RTA staff and consultants will be on hand to answer questions.

This is the second attempt to relocate the bus headquarters. Plans to relocate from the authority

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  • 2 weeks later...

That is interesting. People will protest the bus barn no matter where it is. I think it should go in a industrial section to the south of town personally. But I recall hearing that there is less resistance to this location the the precious one on Sunset.

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That is interesting. People will protest the bus barn no matter where it is. I think it should go in a industrial section to the south of town personally. But I recall hearing that there is less resistance to this location the the precious one on Sunset.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree with Spartan. This should go to the Bluff Road area. The residents do deserve an answer on the question of what other locations where considered and why they failed the test. Also, why does this thing have to go in the city limits? The bus routes serve the county too. The north side of Columbia has historically been a dumping ground for section 8 housing, Halfway houses, and the like. THat side of town has finally been coming back after years of decline in the '60's and '70's. It would be a tragedy (not to mention just plain stupid) to see that progress reversed. Also, this is an awfully residential area for something like this.

Mayor Bob needs to LEAD on this issue. If this truly is the most logical location (and I don't think it is), he needs to make the case for it, take the heat and push it through. Otherwise the city is going to get stuck with the cleanup costs of the existing site. It's gut check time for the Mayor. Being able to fire the water plant manager isn't going to change the facts of a situation like this. He needs to show that he can make the tough choices required of a "strong Mayor".

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Also, why does this thing have to go in the city limits? 

It would be a tragedy (not to mention just plain stupid) to see that progress reversed. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The city limits thing is part of their agreement. It probably has to do with taxes. The problem is that the city limits don't go very far to the South. The other problem is that the city doesnt control much empty land that is not near anything. This is yet another problem we can credit to SC's archaic annexation laws.

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The city limits thing is part of their agreement. It probably has to do with taxes. The problem is that the city limits don't go very far to the South. The other problem is that the city doesnt control much empty land that is not near anything. This is yet another problem we can credit to SC's archaic annexation laws.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If that's true, the city should have never agreed to that. There are some parcels that are on Bluff Road that are in the city, perhaps they could buy a empty parcel next to the city limits and annex it.

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There were several things that the CMRTA want/need for the bus barn.

1. proximity to the transfer station at Laurel and Sumter Sts.

2. proximity to natural gas lines.

3. proximity to rail line (for possibility of future light rail--way in the future)

4. existing zoning of site

5. existing zonging of contiguous areas

6. size (20 plus acres)

7. porximity to residential development

8. site preparation costs

9. environmental conditions

10. capacity of roadway

11. availability and time of availability of site

12. development preparation costs

13. conflicting freight and passenger train activities.

One of the biggest issues in this whole debacle is the "deadhead" mileage issue. The more miles between the bus barn and the transfer station is more wear and tear on the vehicles and more lost mileage. This raises the cost for the city and the RTA.

A problem with the Bluff Rd. area is the stadium, as it is buses can't run their routes through that area when there are games, and let's not forget the trains. That's an unacceptable situation for a public transportation system.

And it should be remembered that the site on Lucius Rd. is zoned for industrial use. It used to be a junk yard. You guys should really check out some of the plans for the site that have been posted on the CMRTA website. If they aren't there still I think I have them saved somewhere.

I think that the biggest problem with all of this is the lack of communication between City Council, the RTA and the residents of the Lucius Rd. area. I think if a dialogue had been opened up for all to participate in earlier (and if everyone--particularly City Council--had been active participants) then maybe some of the deep-seeded fractiousness of this whole situation might have been avoided.

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^^ Thanks for the info. Information like this needs to be publicized so that people understand the situation fully. In most controversial situations in Cola, info like this is hard to find.

20 acres seems like an excessive and unwarranted requirement to me. The current site isn't anywhere near that big.

What is the CRTA website? I would like to see a pic of the barn and a site map/location map too.

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Especially if light rail is ever going to come into the picture. how cool would that be? i guess for right now i'd settle for the exciting prospect of having enough ridership and financial support for the bus system that the buses would run at faster intervals and the like.

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I haven't seen any renderings. I don't expect this will be anything visually spectacular. I would like to see a site layout though. Thats the problem I guess. Once they have a site they will be able to make some renderings.

That info might be on the city's website.

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It was on www.gocmrta.com last week. How strange that they would have taken it off already.

Well, I don't seem to have the pictures, but I have a FAQ sheet off of the site (before everything was taken off). Here 'tis:

CMRTA Proposed Headquarters Relocation

Frequently Asked Questions

Updated March 2004

Site Location

Q: Where is the proposed site?

A: Sunset Drive across from the Wal-Mart warehouse (former Sam

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