ANDERSON – The city of Anderson will be receiving an additional $560,000 in federal funds for the construction of a new bus terminal.
The Madison County Council of Governments is transferring funds from a Pendleton project that is being delayed as right of way is being acquired.
Jerry Bridges, director of Council of Governments, said Thursday the funds were budgeted for improvements at the intersection of Indiana 38 and Enterprise Drive in Pendleton, but will now be used for the City of Anderson Transit System bus terminal project.
He said the Pendleton project will be getting funding in 2017.
“Under new guidelines, if we can’t find a project for funding, there is a chance the county will lose the funds,” Bridges said.
The Anderson City Council has narrowed the search for the location of a new bus terminal to two potential sites: the township trustee property and the property west of the McDonald’s.
Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr. said the intent is to finalize a location by the end of the month.
He said the location could go before the City Council at the March 10 meeting or a special meeting could be scheduled.
Broderick said the additional $560,000 provides the city with some flexibility on the project.
David Eicks, chairman of the Anderson Board of Public Works, said the city’s matching fund would be approximately $650,000 and could increase depending on whether the additional $560,000 is used on the project.
Last year, the city was on the verge of losing $3 million in federal funds for the project when a site could not be finalized.
Those funds were restored in the long-range plan of the Madison County Council of Governments, but construction work has to be moving forward by July 1.
A consideration in the discussions of a bus terminal site is the possibility of future light rail transportation between Anderson and Indianapolis.
As first proposed, the cost of the bus terminal was estimated at $3.6 million, but that cost is expected to be higher now.
Once a site is selected, the city will have two appraisals done and offer the property owner the average of the two appraisals. Federal guidelines stipulate that the purchase price can’t exceed the average of the appraisals.