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Opinion Transit hub adds to La Grande’s strengths
Transit hub adds to La Grande’s strengths
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The community of La Grande’s strengths are well documented: low crime
rate, tons of beautiful trees, an educational hub, natural beauty of
the Blues and Wallowa mountains and so on. Add to that list now a
public transit hub. The new Northeast Oregon Public Transit Building at
2204 E. Penn Ave. was the focus of a ceremony officially opening it for
business Dec. 1. The transit hub houses both Greyhound and Community
Connection’s extensive public transit program and is an example of what
can be accomplished through cooperation and a public-private
partnership.
Public transportation is growing in importance in the region. It is estimated that Community Connection will give 80,000 rides this year. Community Connection offers bus service in La Grande plus Dial-A-Ride for seniors and people with disabilities. Community Connection also provides service to some small towns in Union County plus to Wallowa and Umatilla counties. In these times when gas prices are fluctuating wildly, having a strong public transporation system in place is particularly important when the next, inevitable surge in gas prices occurs. The service will help employees lacking their own transportation connect with employers and people connect with shopping opportunities and medical appointments. What’s more, the new transit hub puts Greyhound in a much better position to serve the community. Formerly, Greyhound was located at the Flying J Truck Stop, which is approximately three miles out of town, and in an inadequately sized office. The bus route links La Grande to cities around the West and the nation, but for people lacking transportation, the old headquarters proved very inconvenient. The new quarters has much more space and is much more centrally located to La Grande’s population base. A strong alliance of city, county and state officials made the hub not just a dream but a reality. A bipartisan effort in the Legislature brought about ConnectOregon, an initiative to improve the state’s air, rail, marine and transit infrastructure. A grant from ConnectOregon provided a lion’s share of the funding for the local transit hub. Many other individuals and organizations chipped in to make the hub a reality. To name just a couple, the Oregon Department of Transportation provided technical assistance to the project and La Grande Public Works Director Norm Paullua designed the building on his own time, free of charge. All those involved in getting the new transit hub up and running showed how important it is to have partnerships and cooperation to get a quality project accomplished. Those involved should be congratulated for their efforts in broadening the strengths of La Grande to include public transportation. |
