Posted on 07/28/2010 7:08:30 AM PDT by Willie Green
SPRINGFIELD - The Federal Transit Administration has lifted a freeze on funding for the Union Station project, ruling that the Springfield Redevelopment Authority has satisfied requirements to become the "direct recipient" of grant money.
U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, said this week that the letter of approval from the federal agency is a milestone that will help advance plans for a $71 million intermodal transportation project. Union Station, built in 1926, has stood dormant since it was closed as a railroad station in 1973.
"I think it signals the re-set for Union Station," Neal said. "We have been assured by the (U.S.) Department of Transportation that once the forms are filled out, this gets the project back on target."
The project will provide space for the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, Amtrak, commuter rail and intercity bus operations, along with transit-related office space. The baggage building will be torn down and replaced by a new bus terminal and parking deck.
The redevelopment authority "seems eager to meet the challenge," Neal said. The project includes federal, state and private funding.
The Federal Transit Administration's decision means the authority is now eligible to receive approximately $29.7 million in frozen public funds for the project, including about $26 million in federal funds, according to Kevin E. Kennedy, aide to Neal.
The Springfield Redevelopment Authority, which owns Union Station, has become the lead agency on the project. The authority will advertise for a project manager and will subsequently hire an architect.
In order to be deemed eligible for federal funds, the authority had to show through a lengthy, detailed process that it has "the financial, legal and technical capacity" to move the project forward, Kennedy said.
The Federal Transit Administration froze approximately $38 million in federal funding for the Union Station project after a 2005 audit showed questionable spending by the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority under its former administrator, Gary A. Shepard. Shepard was fired by the authority in 2006 and later hired to run the Berkshire Transit Authority, and is suing the PVTA for lost wages and damages.
A follow-up review by the Federal Transit Administration praised the agency and its new administrator, Mary L. MacInnes, for a "remarkable turnaround." The PVTA remains a partner in the Union Station project and the lead tenant.
The redevelopment has been pursued since the 1980s and was proposed in the past as a larger scale, $115 million project. Prior plans that included elevated bus ramps, a hotel, and movie theater are no longer being considered.
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno praised the Federal Transit Administration's decision to accept the redevelopment authority's lead role. The city looks forward to making Union Station "a regional hub not just for transportation but for economic development," and the city will continue to advocate for high-speed, inter-city and regional rail service, he said.
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