Plans for a new public transportation operations center on South
Campus have been delayed until the U.S. Congress approves a bill
that would make Cleveland Area Rapid Transit eligible for $3
million in federal money.

Development and design plans have been stalled on the new center
until the Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2004, otherwise known
as the OmniBus Bill, is approved, said Theta Dempsey, director of
OU Parking and Transit Services. Dempsey explained this to the
members of the Transportation Committee meeting at City Hall on
Thursday evening.

“They stalled it because of things they didn’t like
that had absolutely nothing to do with the transportation portion
of the bill,” Dempsey said. “The majority, if not all,
will go to the building. We have to wait and be sure enough that we
get money before we spend money.

“I’m hopeful that we won’t have to use all the
$3 million on the building project,” Dempsey said.

The federal funding for the center passed the U.S House of
Representatives on Dec. 8, 2003, but has stalled in the U.S.
Senate, Dempsey said. The bill contains funding for seven of 13
agencies, including Housing Urban Development, Section 8 Housing
Vouchers and Veteran Affairs. The bill might pass the Senate in the
next few weeks.

The federal government allocates funds for CART through the
Federal Transportation Administration based on the size of
Norman’s urban area and the density of the population, said
Carl Weckenmann, grant and planning specialist for CART. The
population figures are derived from the 2000 census.

At the May 2003 OU Board of Regents meeting, the regents
approved the Transportation Operations Center project as part of
the overall Campus Master Plan of Capital Improvements with a
revised cost of $4 million, according to the June regents
agenda.

The facility will include shop and maintenance space for both
public transit and OU fleet vehicles, a bus-washing facility,
vehicle fueling facilities and fuel storage. The center will
include office space for public transit and outdoor parking and
storage areas for transit vehicles.

Once the development plans are finished, a consultant selected
for the project will provide an environmental assessment, which is
required because CART officials are asking for federal dollars to
build the center. The assessment will examine the removal of the
existing OU Motor Pool.
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