New NFTA transpo center open

by Susan Mikula Campbell
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, December 27, 2007
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, December 29, 2007

Local and state officials and NFTA commissioners lined up to cut the season-appropriate plaid ribbon to officially open the new Niagara Falls Transportation Center at 2250 Factory Outlet Blvd. (photo by Adam Tabelski)

“Let Metro take you where you want to go” was the theme last week as the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority cut the ribbon for its new Niagara Falls Transportation Center.

The $6.4 million transportation center, located at 2250 Factory Outlet Blvd. (off Military Road), in the Town of Niagara, started operation Sunday. It will be open 5 a.m. until 1 a.m. weekdays (until 12:30 a.m. weekends and holidays).

On Dec. 21, state and local officials and NFTA commissioners cut a season-appropriate plaid ribbon at the official dedication of the facility. NFTA Commissioner Eunice A. Lewin, chairwoman of the Surface Transportation Committee, and Niagara County NFTA Commissioner and Vice Chairman Henry M. Sloma were chosen to wield the scissors.

Sen. George Maziarz said he didn’t think Niagara County was getting its fair share from NFTA back in the 1970s and 1980s. New leadership coming on board in the late 1990s and early 2000 helped change that and has “given us our rightful place at the table.”

This being Niagara County, there was some contentious discussion over where the facility would be located, Maziarz said, but noted, “This particular facility is in the right place and comes exactly at the right moment.”

Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte recognized Grace Chambers of the Independent Living Facility of Niagara County, as an advocate for both the disabled and the community at large while the facility was being planned and built. She also recognized the Seneca Niagara Casino (and the revenues it provides) as “a great partner, allowing a lot of good things to happen” in the community.

Research by the NFTA showed that the Town of Niagara location would be the best site for the transportation center, she said.

Niagara Falls Mayor Vince Anello joked that the city was “filing the papers for annexation,” but added that the bus terminal represents another step in regionalization, giving visitors more reasons to stay more than a few hours and turning the economy around.

The new Transportation Center is open for business. (photo by Dave Young).

The day before, Anello had presented a $1 million check to NFTA representing Seneca Niagara Hotel & Casino revenue the city had held until NFTA was ready to begin construction on a new Niagara Falls International Airport terminal. The NFTA recently approved construction of the airport terminal.

Applauding the completion of the bus terminal Friday, Wheatfield’s Niagara County Legislator Bill Ross cited an old sports cliché – “You can talk the talk, but only when you see results are you walking the walk.” The new bus terminal makes public transportation user friendly, he said, and “is going to serve our Niagara County public now and for a good many years.”

NFTA Chairman Gregory Stamm surprised Sloma with a plaque in his honor.

“One person had my ear on everything that had to do with Niagara County. This facility would not have been possible without Henry Sloma’s hard work,” Stamm said.

Town of Niagara Councilman Charles F. Teixeira said the state-of-the-art transportation center represents an opportunity to bring more people to the town’s business strip.

“I think it can be a plus, a benefit to the town,” he said.

“This is the next generation of who we are,” said Sloma of the new facility. “We’re building in more amenities, not only for people who currently use the system, but to attract more riders.

The 5,400 square-foot facility was designed to provide Metro passengers with shorter travel times, fewer transfers and improved service. Five flat screen monitors show updated Metro bus arrival times, transit information and local and international news. The center offers free Wi-Fi connections, 24-hour security surveillance, emergency NFTA Police hotline, fare dispensing machines, change machines, an ATM, covered walkways for passenger pick-up and drop-off, seating, pay phones, restrooms, taxi service and a 56-car park and ride lot.

Vending machines, a microwave, tables and chairs, as well as the Bijou Café are available for hungry passengers. The cafe will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, offering a menu of breakfast specialties, bakery items, soups, sandwiches and coffee.

Wendel Duchscherer Architects & Engineers designed the building, NF-3rd Associates LLC developed the project, and Picone Construction built the facility.

The new facility serves the following Metro routes: 50 (Main-Niagara), 51 (Military-Summit), 52 (Hyde Park), 54 (Military), 55 (Pine Avenue), 55T (Trolley), 56 (River Road) and 60 (Niagara Falls Express). Niagara Falls Transportation Center passengers will be able to reach destinations such as the Portage Road Transit Center, Niagara University, Niagara County Community College, BOCES, Fashion Outlets, The Summit Business Park, Mount St. Mary’s Hospital, Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, the Niagara Falls International Airport, the Little Italy business district, Buffalo, Lockport, Niagara Falls and LaSalle.

Sloma said the smaller Portage Road transportation center in Niagara Falls, built several years ago and originally intended to be temporary, will now be permanent.

“The people in the community use and take care of the facility,” he said. “We may do more of those in other places.”

All Metro bus and rail schedules are available at www.nfta.com.