(rshsdepot) Macon, GA

["Jim Dent" <james.dent_@_itochu.com>]

-From the The Macon Telegraph

Terminal Station may get bus depot

By Andy M. Drury
The Macon Telegraph

Mayor Jack Ellis is proposing that Greyhound Bus Lines move its Macon
station from Spring Street to Terminal Station, a linchpin in a bigger plan
to create a transportation hub in the heart of downtown.

The Macon bus station --- which handles 39 departures a day and more than
270,000 passengers a year --- is key to transforming Terminal Station into a
transportation hub that includes city buses, passenger rail and taxi
service, he said.

"I think it would create a critical mass," Ellis said. "It puts a lot of
people in downtown Macon, and that's the anchor. Everything is connected
here."

A Greyhound official confirmed Wednesday the bus company is interested in
the proposal.

"We would absolutely like to be a part of an intermodal (facility)," said
Greyhound spokeswoman Kristin Parsley. "We look at it as the future of
transportation because it allows people to travel seamlessly, from one form
of transportation to another."

Under the plan, the fleet of buses operated by the Macon-Bibb County Transit
Authority also would include Terminal Station on its route. The bus
service's Poplar Street transfer station --- where riders change buses ---
also would be moved to Terminal Station.

"We would be a part of that mix," said Lynn Cass, Transit Authority
chairwoman. "If a facility is built there to accommodate everybody's needs,
it would be wonderful."

Large parking lots could be built behind Terminal Station, officials said.

The transportation scenario hinges on Georgia Power Co. selling the building
to Macon.

Ellis and utility officials held talks about a possible sale earlier this
week and "formal negotiations are imminent," said Georgia Power spokesman
John Sell.

Sell said the company's asking price is between $2 million and $2.5 million,
although Ellis said the range was closer to $1.5 million and $2 million.
Sell indicated the utility is committed to reaching an agreement with city
officials, who have been promised $1.5 million in federal money and $1
million from the Georgia Department of Transportation to buy the building.

"We're locked in," Sell said. "We think the city is a good buyer because
they have the interests of downtown at heart and will continue redevelopment
of an area to spur economic growth."

The vision for Terminal Station --- which saw passenger rail service from
the late 1940s until 1971 --- is based largely on a blueprint of Union
Station in Washington.

"I envision a place for retail and restaurants, a place alive with eateries
and little shops," City Council President Anita Ponder said. "The rider who
comes through there can enjoy all the different worlds of eating and
shopping. ... I'm all about convenience. Anytime you can go to one place to
catch a train, bus or cab, I think that's a good thing."

Ellis put the remodeling and construction costs of accommodating Greyhound
at $800,000.

Conie Mac Darnell, president of the public/private downtown improvement
group NewTown Macon, said a multimodal facility in the building "makes a
heck of a lot of sense."

"It's a marvelous idea," he said. "It's an opportunity in the concept stage
right now, but with all those different modes, you can get instant traffic
downtown. That's what drives retail and restaurants."

NewTown, which includes redevelopment of Terminal Station among its list of
initiatives, will be a partner with City Hall in the effort, Darnell said.

"This is just one more opportunity that has been used in other cities to
revitalize their downtowns," he said. "This is the last rail station of its
kind in Georgia."

Ellis also has said he hopes to house several offices in Terminal Station,
including the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, Urban Development
Authority, Macon Economic Development Commission and government offices such
as planning and zoning, business licenses, and inspections and fees.

The building already houses NewTown Macon and the Macon-Bibb County
Convention & Visitors Bureau.

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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #117
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