Lawton officials may change minds on LATS construction project

A change in plans for the new mass transit complex on South Railroad Street may get the indoor transfer center open sooner than expected.

Members of the City Council’s Downtown Transfer Center Site Committee haven’t made a firm decision, but are receptive to the idea posed by LATS officials: divide the LATS complex project into two phases: the first for the transfer center; the second for maintenance, storage and operations. Dividing the project would make it easier to secure the funding that would allow construction on Lawton’s first indoor transfer center to begin, said LATS General Manager Ryan Landers.

It’s a decided change from the proposal officials have been supporting: craft design plans for the entire complex, to be located south of the public safety complex.

The project is the realization of plans city officials have had since LATS began operations in 2001: an indoor transfer center for passengers and bus drivers, to replace the outdoor center and its meager amenities now at Southwest 4th Street and Southwest B Avenue.

Officials with Hendrickson Transportation Group have said while the indoor transfer center is vital, LATS also needs a new complex to replace the undersized maintenance and operations center on Bishop Road, west of the city’s Public Works Yard. That leased space has housed administrative, storage and maintenance operations since LATS opened, but Landers said it is severely undersized, inadequate for employees, vehicle storage and maintenance.

There are two proposals on the table that will make a difference.

Landers said the landlord for the facilities LATS already leases now has empty building nearby that LATS could lease.

“We’re running out of space,” Landers said, explaining an empty building west of the LATS complex is suitable to house employees. The owner is offering the building rent at $1,300 monthly, an option that provides a great “short term solution,” he said, adding it also provides enough room to accommodate customers.

If the City Transit Trust approves the idea by late October, LATS staff could move into the structure in early November.

The same landlord recently said he also has a 25,000-square-foot warehouse north of the LATS complex, available for $4,000 monthly. That warehouse is large enough to hold LATS’ minor and major repair operations, while providing enough space to ensure all LATS vehicles can be stored inside during bad weather.

While Landers and his staff are ready to make a recommendation on the office building, they need to analyze the warehouse, said City Planner Christine James, adding officials didn’t want to proceed with that analysis until they knew council members want to explore the idea. But no decision will be made until staff analyzes electrical, water and exactly what needs to be done to the 25-year-old structure to make it functional.

Landers said leasing both buildings would allow maintenance and administrative functions to remain in south Lawton. That, in turn, means immediate funding would be needed only for the indoor transfer center.

Landers said that estimated $3 million to $4 million cost is an easier goal to reach, explaining while federal funding is available to cover the majority of construction costs, in the last grant application round, only 60 of the 500 applications were approved. With funding set into place, construction could begin as soon as 2025, if the city resolves the issue of relocating the police evidence warehouse now on the site.

Three council members indicated they are willing to consider the idea of focusing on the indoor transfer center. Ward 4 Councilman George Gill said that is a plan he already has argued for, keeping maintenance and operations at its current site.

“I have no problem with separating the maintenance and operations building,” he said.

Landers said a decision on how to proceed is important as Wendel WD Architecture moves closer to completing “30 percent plans,” a point that marks a decision to proceed with design plans. James said the idea of keeping the facilities separate is attractive.

“This is a better fit for the general public,” she said, adding the city has received complaints about placing a maintenance yard in view of visitors at the transfer center, a concern council members also have voiced.