-
Login
-
Digital Edition
-
Print Edition
- Most Commented
- Most Commented
- Most Emailed
- Most Emailed
- Popular
- Popular
« News Home
Transit in transition: As WRTA ridership accelerates, downtown terminal deteriorates
TweetFIRST OF A TWO-PART SERIES.
By Doug Livingston
TheNewsOutlet.org
YOUNGSTOWN
Inside downtown’s Federal Station bus terminal, a large brown spot outlines several ceiling tiles that have fallen from water damage.
A metal bar, once holding a tabletop, sticks up from the tile floor.
In the bathrooms, a foul odor permeates the graffiti-covered stalls. As you wash your hands, you can’t help but notice “Youngstown Sucks,” written in black marker to your right.
Outside, across the pothole-ridden parking lot, Youngstown resident Sachi Johnson waits for her bus under a glass-paneled enclosure. She wonders what Greyhound riders passing through Youngstown think of the city, viewed through the rust-stained windows of the Federal Street facility.
“They think that Youngstown is dirty,” she figures.
Johnson’s trip represents one of more than 1 million rides in the Mahoning Valley that the Western Reserve Transit Authority’s bus services will provide this year.
WRTA was one of the Valley’s first agencies last year to secure federal stimulus money — $3.5 million.
Despite a crumbling central terminal, WRTA officials instead decided to expand administration offices on Mahoning Avenue for a price of $1.2 million. The move sparked criticism from local residents, and it continues with riders like Johnson.
“We’re not proud of it,” James Ferraro, WRTA executive director, said of the facility that opened in 1985.
Ferraro argues that improving the administrative office was vital to improving countywide service, which will reach more voters and taxpayers than improving Federal Station.
Ferraro said he doesn’t think people from Sebring or Green Township care about Federal Station.
“But I can tell you this much, that if their family and their neighbors aren’t benefiting [from the recently expanded WRTA service] then they’re gonna say, ‘Why should I support [the sales tax] next time?’” Ferraro said.
In November 2008, WRTA moved from a property tax to a .25-cent sales tax. The sales tax is up for renewal in 2013.
Conditions at Federal Station have worsened over the years.
A total of $80,500 has been spent on the bathrooms over three restorations. The parking lot has been paved three times as well, totaling more than $425,000. A recent assessment of the parking lot, last repaired in 2005, calls for an additional $40,000 to repair.
One potential solution: Eliminate the terminal facility altogether, leaving a small area for Greyhound passengers. The rest of the property on West Federal Street would be open-air shelters for local riders.
Many riders oppose this idea, however.
Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com. Part II of this series will be published Tuesday.
Comments
i am a big supporter of our public transportation, and i have posted in their behalf, but i think the wrta should have enough money between the stimulus funds and the sales tax to do a little sprucing up. this article made it sound like we either get enough money for a complete re-do or we do nothing at all. there is no need to eliminate the facility. hire some cleaners to go in periodically. take some pride in your ride.
They'll probably move it to Boardman like they did the ATF and Unemployment office.
Why not have the inmates from across the street clean the bus station up? They can paint over the graffiti also!!! Sounds like a win-win situation to me.
That bus station is to bust down just for a regular clean up. It needs fixed up badly then it needs to be kept in that same condition. It doesn't make sense how you can travel to a different city and their bus station looks ten times better than youngstowns.
"“We’re not proud of it,” James Ferraro, WRTA executive director, said of the facility that opened in 1985.
Ferraro argues that improving the administrative office was vital to improving countywide service, which will reach more voters and taxpayers than improving Federal Station".
I have no clue how improving the admins office was that important over fixing up the terminal. They made sure they got there pay raises though.
http://www.vindy.com/news/2010/apr/30...
"We’re not proud of it,” James Ferraro, WRTA executive director, said of the facility that opened in 1985."
Your tax dollars will fix it up so that they can be proud of it .
Can you sense what is coming ? If you guessed adding more to the sales tax you are partially correct . Raising property taxes is also in view .
@Lifes2Short I can agree with you there. It's very bad down there you could give them a law suit if you get hurt outside in them holes. It's just alot wrong down there.
The facility opened in 1985? So it's only 25 years old? For a 25-year-old building to be in that bad of shape is nothing short of criminal. And the stench coming from the bathrooms? Maybe someone could CLEAN IT???
Ferraro got his fancy new digs, and the employees all got nice raises, but nobody thought to save a little money for physical repairs or maintenance. Well, just let the 25-year-old building fall down, and cry in 2013 about how the WRTA is in dire need of a new building, so we need more tax money!
And we still don't know how much money the WRTA brings in altogether - we know some of their income, but not all.
Let it begin here and now: Vote NO in 2013!
Maybe they can have some of the $18.00/ hr bus washers clean the restrooms, too.
Fess2it- we can't have the inmates doing manual labor, they might institute a class action lawsuit over that, too. How dare the community expect them to do some work in exchange for their food, clothing, shelter and MEDICAL CARE.
Why would they put the regular non-criminal people in danger downtown for some inmates to make repairs? They already need to get some of them child molesters/rapetes/weirdos that try to come down to the bus station under control. I could just see that now some inmates trying to break loose and an innocent bystander gets shot while they try to take down the perp.
I am outraged at Mr. Ferraro's comment that ONLY 172,000 people use the building. Clearly, neither Mr. Ferraro, his friends nor his family have ever waited outside for a bus in the winter. If he cares more about parking buses indoors than about providing protection from the elements for people, I can never support a levy for buses again. Never!