The bus fleet's new home, now under construction

(Park Record) The Park City Public Works Department earlier in the spring broke ground on a major expansion of its bus barn, putting up a building on the department's Iron Horse Drive grounds that is critical to the long term functioning of the transit system.

The facility is expected to be completed in December, in time for the busiest part of the year for the bus system. Kent Cashel, the Public Works official who oversees the transit system for City Hall, said the expansion will double the amount of bus bays at the site, from approximately 30 there now to 60. He said the larger facility is expected to provide capacity for the next 30 years of transit expansion.

The construction is forecast to cost $10 million. The federal government is funding the full amount. City Hall put up the land -- approximately five acres -- as its match to be eligible for the funding from Washington, D.C.

The project will also double the number of maintenance bays on the grounds, from four there now to eight. Cashel said other upgrades will include more space to store tools and a fueling facility at the site. Cashel said the work will put in numerous environmental upgrades as well, such as a system to recycle water, an energy-efficient heating and cooling system and a lighting system that relies as much as possible on sunlight. City Hall in recent years has insisted on municipal projects including green elements as part of the local government's wide-ranging environmental program.

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