Passenger Transport 2010 APTA Annual Meeting - 22

2010 Annual Meeting

Intercity Transit Makes Profitable New Use of Old Land
BY MEG KESTER Marketing and Communications Manager Intercity Transit Olympia, WA

hat’s an old landfill got to do with a new transit project? A whole lot, in the case of Intercity Transit’s park-and-ride project in development atop a sealed garbage dump located in the South Puget Sound region of the Pacific Northwest. Pursuing the agency’s vision for being “more than a bus company,” Intercity Transit continues to build on its reputation as an innovator within the public transportation industry. The project will restore an eight-acre portion of the former Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center to productive public use with a much-needed

park-and-ride facility adjacent to Interstate 5, the region’s major travel corridor. The 334-stall lot will support transit, carpool, and vanpool activity in the county’s fastest-growing area, northeast Lacey. Adding public value and interest to the project, the county is nearing completion of a dog park adjacent to the park-and-ride site. This development— already being called the “Park and Bark”—is receiving support from citizens as a unique, multi-use, open space in a region with growing residential and commuter populations. An opinion proffered by The Olympian, the region’s daily newspaper, refers to the project as “taking a nonproductive piece of county property and turning it into a great community asset.” Yes, reclaiming a portion of a former

garbage dump for new public use is positive, especially as the new park-and-ride, and the adjacent dog park, will benefit many of the area’s citizens, not just transit riders. But it comes at the price of greater expense and the need for specialized engineering and careful administration of this complex project. Intercity Transit leaders think the effort is a worthwhile one. “The landfill is perfectly located for a park-and-ride facility and, by using it in this way, valuable land is preserved for residential and commercial development,” said General Manager Mike Harbour. The project fits with the agency’s priority of sustainability and community livability. Intercity Transit is also a charter signatory of APTA’s Sustainability Commitment. The agency began exploring the landfill site, which had been closed for 20 years, in 2008, completing a feasibil-

TRANSFORMING TRANSPORTATION

ity study later that year; it used its findings to successfully secure significant state funds for the project. Procurement and contract awards have occurred for design, engineering, and construction management services. Currently, the new site’s cover and gas collection system is undergoing modification with 148,000 tons of fill compressing the subsurface refuse. Once maximum compaction has occurred—anticipated to take about a year—construction will begin on the facility. The project is on track to be completed in 2012. Washington State DOT Transportation Regional Mobility Grant funds of $6.66 million provide 80 percent of the $8.2 million project cost. Intercity Transit committed $600,000 plus the value of the property as the local match. Thurston County, a partner in the project, leases the land to the transit agency for $1 per year. Interagency cooperation has been a key to moving the project from vision to reality. The project involves two local jurisdictions, the city of Lacey and Thurston County, with additional oversight by two state agencies, the Washington State Departments of Ecology and Transportation.

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though, I have realized that I need a deeper, more specialized understanding of transportation and transit systems. Consequently, I am now in the process of switching degree programs from city planning to civil engineering to pursue graduate studies in transportation engineering. Due to a high degree of overlap in the coursework, the change in major does not extend the duration of school; I will graduate in December. However, it does result in a loss of my department-based funding for my final semester this fall. Despite this setback, I feel strongly that the educational benefits outweigh the financial costs, and that the skill set acquired will be beneficial and necessary in the long run. As I begin my arduous career journey, I seek first to develop a comprehensive knowledge of rail and transit systems. Having completed my assistantship with Central Atlanta Progress, I am now interning with the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority in transportation planning. This gives me the opportunity to continue working on the streetcar and MMPT projects, but from a more technical perspective. After graduation, I plan to

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KEARSE CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

Passenger Transport 2010 APTA Annual Meeting

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