LATS transfer center to be created from police storage building

The City Council is ready for engineers to move forward with construction designs for a new mass transit indoor transfer center.

Council members signed off this week on 30 percent designs crafted by Wendel WD Architecture, and acknowledged action by city staff, Hendrickson Transportation Group and the Transfer Center Site Selection Committee to begin searching for a design firm to handle the remaining design work — to include construction documents — that will allow them to convert the police storage building south of the Lawton Public Safety Complex into LATS’ first indoor transfer center.

The council’s vote accepted those 30 percent (conceptual) designs and allows LATS to continue work to solicit a design firm to finish designs. The council also accepted the recommendation for a phased approach to that LATS complex, starting with the transfer center (Phase I).

Ronald Reekes, with Wendel WD Architecture, said the concept centers on an existing building now used as Lawton Police Department’s storage facility, an area that holds classified information and other materials, he said.

“There are some changes to the building we’re trying to make, to make it more user-friendly for transit riders,” Reekes said.

Reekes said the proposal initially would use about 2,500 square feet of that building, remodeling it into a transfer center with seating, offices, restrooms and break space for both LATS bus drivers and riders. That indoor facility will replace LATS’ long-time outdoor transfer center and its basic amenities, meaning the new complex also will include space for fixed route buses and other vehicles. Reekes said that means 12 bays created outside the building, set in a modified herringbone pattern and covered with a canopy to protect riders from the weather.

That center is the first of three phases that would create an entire transportation complex on Railroad Street “if and when funding is available, and if that still is the desire of the Transit Trust,” Reekes said. Phase II would convert the back half of the existing building to a maintenance center (that facility now is located in south Lawton), while Phase III is the “complete build out,” to include service areas such as a bus wash and fueling stations.

Lindsay Brownschidle, also with Wendel, said the estimated cost of Phase I is $3,616,123 and that includes the entire project: materials, conversion work, canopies and bays, contractor fees and a contingency fund. Following a proposed timeline, designs are expected to be completed in late 2025, with bidding for a contractor to occur in early 2026 for what is projected to be a 15-month construction project. Completion is projected in mid-2027, if the project can proceed on the existing timeline, city officials said.

Funding is a primary issue and the reason that Wendel’s work was focused on 30 percent designs. While funding for the project is included in the Capital Improvements Program, City Planner Christine James said city and LATS officials also continued their quest for grants, which is why conceptual designs were necessary (to qualify for most grants, an entity must have at least conceptual designs).

“So, we’re doing that first,” she said, adding that now those designs have been accepted, the next step is Requests for Qualifications to select the firm that will complete designs.

In the meantime, city administrators are exploring options for another storage facility for Lawton Police Department. James said proposals will come back to the council for a decision in coming months, adding the final cost will depend on whether the City of Lawton builds a new facility or remodels an existing building.

“That’s a lot less than building something new,” she said.

Ward 4 Councilman George Gill said there are several viable options in the area, to include a 25,000 square-foot building.

The $3.6 million estimated cost of the transfer center project doesn’t include the cost of a new storage building or relocating the contents in the existing building, city officials said.