VanGO is seeking more comfortable hub

Transfer pavilion plans under way

Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009

By MEREDITH SOMERS

Staff writer

Click here to enlarge this photo

Staff photo by EMILY BARNES

Charles County is moving forward with plans to build a new transfer pavilion at the park and ride lot on U.S. 301 in Waldorf.

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On a bright, warm Wednesday afternoon, Eddene Miller sits patiently on a small bench in the commuter park and ride lot along southbound U.S. 301 in Waldorf.

A resident of the eastern side of Charles County with no car at her disposal, Miller has been dependent on the VanGO bus system for eight years, and today is no different.

As the minutes pass and it gets closer to the assigned pickup schedule, more riders join Miller in the modest enclosure. Some get the remaining seat space, while a handful of remaining riders waits in the sun for the shuttle.

"It's convenient, but it could be better … as long as I get a seat to sit on," Miller said with a smile. "Sometimes there's rain blowing … and soaking us."

Miller and her fellow commuters are lucky on this day: the weather is beautiful and it's not the busiest time for ridership.

"It's not so bad, but it's the only transportation we have," said Clara Warren, another eastern Charles County resident, who was waiting alongside Miller. "Some days it's very crowded."

Cognizant of concerns like Miller's and Warren's, the county has been working for several years on plans for a new transfer pavilion at the 301 park and ride.

During the commissioners' meeting last week, the board members were briefed on the status of the project and learned that despite a history of setbacks, construction could start as early as mid-winter, which means riders like Miller and Warren can have shelter from next year's crisp autumn winds.

"It's been quite a process to get up to where we are right now, which is right at the cusp of putting out an invitation to bid," said Jeff Barnett, chief of transportation for the county's department of community services. "We're just looking for a grant agreement hopefully this month … but we're still reasonably confident we can award a contract by the end of the year. If not, then the early part of next calendar year."

The $471,000 project has been nearly five years in the making, Barnett said. Eighty percent of the price tag will be picked up by the federal government, with the remaining 20 percent split between the county and state — or $41,700 from local funding. Barnett said the funding is there at the county level; it's already been cycled through three fiscal years.

Having outgrown its original transfer point at the St. Charles Towne Center mall in 2004, VanGO moved to its current location along southbound U.S. 301, where a commuter bus park and ride was already established.

The total VanGO system averages about 1,800 passengers each day, the chief of transportation said. He estimated about 1,200 of those riders used the U.S. 301 stop in one form or another. The remaining third of the riders pass through the La Plata site.

Since 2004, Barnett said, the county has been working on a solution to the confusion and overcrowding at the joint bus stop.

Over the years the county has completed environmental reviews, drawn up project designs and most recently obtained approval by the state for a disadvantaged business enterprise plan.

"It was worth jumping through a few hoops," Barnett said.

The current design plans — which the commissioners reviewed during their meeting — show a steel 120-foot structure that is 20 feet wide and has ample room for a shuttle bus to pull underneath, and enough space for riders to wait at the curb without them falling victim to any bad weather.

"If the [awnings] come down too low it will impede the buses," said Karen Cieplak, the county's director of community services. "As [designers] look at the final panels they'll certainly look at how the patrons can be as comfortable as possible given it's still an outdoor structure."

Commissioners' Vice President Edith J. Patterson (D) asked whether the design was used someplace else in the county where it could be seen in action. Barnett said the awnings above the community services center's main entrance and gym were the inspiration for the pavilion.

"I was thinking … of a winter day or a very rainy day. Are there ever terminals with sides to it, or something that would prevent the elements from coming in?" Patterson asked.

"There are some small partitions and other artists' drawings with more of those. I'm thinking … we'll put in additional partitions with tempered glass — it's more difficult to break — that would provide some relief from the elements coming in."

Rest rooms for shuttle drivers and sheriff's deputies are in the conceptual plans, as well as security cameras for the safety of the riders.

Despite the relatively smooth remainder of the project process, there are some hitches the county will need to consider, Barnett said, including ongoing maintenance expenses, increased loitering and most notably fewer parking spaces for park and ride lot users.

The larger transfer pavilion will result in a loss of 83 spots from the U.S. 301 park and ride area. Barnett said there are currently about 425 spaces for cars.

Though there had been talks with the managers of the mall property, Simon Properties, Barnett said as of Tuesday's presentation, the firm would not be leasing any more space to commuters.

There is talk about using excess lot space at Regency Furniture Stadium.

"We really need to bear down hard now and get this new park and ride lot … pinned down," said Commissioner Gary V. Hodge (D).

"When these 83 spaces go out of service, that's going to be a concern if we don't have something in motion to replace that."

msomers@somdnews.com

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