INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Momentum for the new, main GoLine bus hub has stalled out after a grant that would have funded the $400,000 to $500,000 project didn’t materialize. Now, transportation officials are exploring other funding options.
The Senior Resource Association did not receive the grant it was hoping to get, which would have helped fund a new hub to replace the one near the County Administration Complex in the City of Vero Beach.
“This will set us back somewhat,” Senior Resource Association CEO Karen Diegl said.
The hub is to be built on currently vacant land on 16th Street between the railroad tracks and the radio station.
The City of Vero Beach is working out a lease with Indian River County to provide the property for the hub.
“We’re pleased with the progress on the lease,” Diegl said, adding that once negotiating is done, the lease will go before both the County Commission and the City Council for approval.
In lieu of a requested $50,000 donation, the Vero Beach City Council identified property it could set aside for the hub.
“Obviously, they’ve got to have a hub,” Mayor Jay Kramer said.
Vero Beach residents in the Original Town community near the current hub have been asking the Vero Beach City Council to find a new home for the hub. They have been complaining about the bus riders walking through their neighborhood leaving trash behind, among other complaints.
As for the $400,000 to $500,000 price tag for the hub, Diegl explained that the hub is more than just a parking lot of asphalt.
She said portions would have to be concrete because the buses run on diesel, which would eat through the tarmac. Also, there were would be a restroom facility and shelter. Drainage and stormwater retention would need to be constructed, as well.
“It’s a significant amount of build-out,” Diegl said.
If the Senior Resource Association had received the grant, Diegl said the hub could have been done in about a year – provided the lease were approved and permits issued without delay.
Without the grant, she said she couldn’t estimate when the new hub could be built.
Diegl said she plans to seek out other grants and funding sources to get the hub back on track.