City hears report from COG on Multi Modal project

by Bill Knowles
TRINIDAD — In a work session held last Tuesday afternoon, the City of Trinidad discussed several items that have been lingering for a while in dark corners of city hall awaiting some kind of resolution.  One such item is the multi-modal development.
Walt Boulden, Executive Director for the Council of Governments (COG) and Audra Garrett, Assistant City Manager, both approached the city council and gave an update on the project. 
According to Great American Stations, a website hosted by Amtrak, the previous station, a wood frame structure, was torn down in 2007 to make way for the widening of Interstate 25, which included the rebuilding of a bridge over the Purgatoire River.  Then in the summer of 2011, as part of Amtrak’s Mobility First Initiative, a new $1.2 million concrete platform with a tactile edge, wrought iron fencing, and period lighting was built by the tracks. Paved parking under the I-25 overpass and a new wheelchair lift were also funded.
Then the South Central Council of Governments (South Central COG), which operates a local bus service, decided to pursue funding for a new multimodal transportation center that would serve passenger rail and local, regional, and intercity busses. 
The plans call for a one-story transportation center to be located at the corner of Pine and Commercial Streets near the new Interstate 25 on and off ramps.  Owned by the city but operated and maintained by COG, it would contain a waiting area with seating, restrooms, and a ticket booth or ticket kiosk.
The total cost of the transportation center is estimated at approximately $880,000.  Funding has been obtained from a number of sources: $20,000 from BNSF Railway, which owns the tracks, $150,000 through the Colorado Department of Transportation’s 5311-f Fund, dedicated to projects in rural and small urbanized areas, $152,000 from the Federal Transit Administration’s Livability Program, $250,000 through the Colorado Transportation Commission’s Funding Advancement for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery (FASTER) program, and $32,300 from the City of Trinidad which will be used to purchase the land for the project.
However Boulden voiced concern about the operation and maintenance costs of the project, which could run between $3.5 million to $7 million over its 30 year lifespan, a cost which COG must bear.  “The building will be too small for much else, about 900 square feet,” Boulden said.  “We won’t be able to put in food sales, retail space, or office space.  We have no way to defray our costs.  We have to ensure this doesn’t become a ‘bridge to nowhere.’”
“This went from being simple to the Taj Mahal,” Mayor Joseph Reorda commented after hearing the report. 
Amtrak reports that for 2015, annual station revenue will be $520,094.  Ridership for 2015 will end up being 5,158 passengers, or about 14 passengers a day.  These numbers are listed on The Great American Stations website.
The discussion between Amtrak and COG will continue in January 2016.