An artist's rendering shows the design of the proposed Twin Transit Center in downtown Centralia expected to be funded by next summer from an aerial view.
Last week, Twin Transit General Manager Derrick Wojcik-Damers estimated the cost of the transit center planned for Pearl Street in downtown Centralia at $7.4 million to $9.8 million, depending on whether the project is funded with state or federal grants.
If you’re surprised by those numbers, we don’t blame you. We were too.
That’s because Wojcik-Damers’ estimate is roughly twice the last public quote on the cost of the project — $4.3 million in 2016.
To us at The Chronicle, it’s clear why the budget has ballooned. Twin Transit is banking on Lewis County voters passing a proposal in November to enlarge its taxing district and approve a two-tenths of 1 percent sales tax increase, funding expansion of its fleet and routes to match its new facility’s footprint.
We hate cliches, but there isn’t any other way to describe this — Twin Transit is counting its chickens before it even has any eggs.
While it seems obvious to us, Wojcik-Damers denies one project relies on the other, or that the expansion of the taxing district has anything to do with the doubled transit center construction cost.
“Things have changed from a few years ago — prices aren’t exactly the same,” he told The Chronicle this week.
True, the project has changed somewhat in the past two years.
First, Twin Transit intended to demolish one of two buildings on its Pearl Street property and restore a second for use as an administration office.
But the circa-1900 Carpenter’s Union Hall, once a National Guard Armory and a Nash Automotive Dealership, was too badly damaged and had to be demolished as well. Site prep and demolition has already cost Twin Transit $1 million.
Wojcik-Damers said increased construction and materials costs account for the 44 percent to 67 percent increase in the estimated cost of the project since 2016, but couldn’t give specific details.
“I can’t attest to every penny out there,” he said.
So rather than completely gutting and modernizing a 120-year-old brick building that had been empty for years, Twin Transit must build one from scratch. Does that account for the project doubling in cost? We haven’t seen detailed plans, but the work to the Carpenter’s building would have had to be substantial and costly as well.
Design mockups for the transit center in 2016 show a paved lot with a large central shelter. Buses were intended to drive around the shelter like a roundabout before rejoining traffic on Pearl Street. The center applied for $4.3 million in grant funding for that project from the state Department of Transportation.
The newest mockups, however, show a larger building and a U-shaped bus terminal with, according to Twin Transit meeting minutes, room for 11 buses on site. The artist’s rendering shows at least nine separate buses loading simultaneously.
Twin Transit currently has four routes — why would it need room for nine buses to load simultaneously if not to account for a county-wide expansion?
Also, the new transit center plans call for hiring in-house marketing and financial staff and the building includes room for 28 office-based employees, nearly as many as it has now including all of its drivers.
Furthermore, Twin Transit staff have suggested the center would need to transition from its current 30- to 35-foot long buses to 40-foot-long vehicles on at least one route, which could require a new stop light on Pearl Street to allow the buses to maneuver over three lanes.
These aren’t small changes. A modest plan for a small-town hub has become a reach for an urban depot, and it’s clear why.
When asked further if the two projects affect each other, Wojcik-Damers said, “They do and they don’t.”
How could they not? It doesn’t make sense to have one without the other — a large facility without the traffic to keep it busy is unsustainable, as is an expansion of services without added infrastructure.
That begs the question, what if voters don’t approve the expansion but Twin Transit gets the $8.8 million federal grant it applied for? On the other hand, what if voters do approve the expansion but the construction grants fall through?
“Both projects will go on, irregardless of whether the other one gets done first, second or at all,” Wojcik-Damers said.
So if the “yes” votes win this November, the district will have to make do with or without a new facility.
And if voters say “no,” Centralia could be stuck with an oversized and understaffed public building.
The projects sure seem connected to us.
“It may be perceived by some that the property is too big for our future needs or the property is too developed for our future needs,” Wojcik-Damers said.
He argued that the district should be forward-thinking and give itself room to grow decades into the future. He said Twin Transit could rent portions of the building for community events in the meantime.
In principal, we support expanded public transportation, and agree it could help connect rural residents to services in other communities. But we’re concerned Twin Transit is trying to grow too fast.
At a time when Lewis County’s essential public services such as school and fire districts struggle to pass levies and bonds, is expanded public transportation such a safe bet? Or a good investment?
We’re not so sure.
