City prepares to move main bus terminal five blocks up Queen St

City Council will be asked Monday to approve public consultations on a plan to move the main downtown bus terminal five blocks west to Sault Transit's bus barn/administration complex at Queen and Huron. 

Brent Lamming, the city's director of community services, will ask councillors to hold a public open house on closing the existing transit terminal and moving it to the new location.

Lamming's hoping the open house can take place before September.

If the pandemic makes that impossible, he wants to conduct a digital consultation.

Either way, a consultant would be retained to oversee the consultations.

The Dennis Street Terminal has clearly seen better days and councillors agreed on May 21, 2019 to find a new location as part of a three-year investment plan.

Lamming sees the following issues with the current location:

• accessibility and barrier-free concerns with the current washroom setup and no easy options to re-configure
• remaining useful life of asset
• challenges with security and safety concerns on occasion

The relocation is expected to cost $2 million, with the city paying $533,400 after contributions from the provincial and federal governments.

"A number of years ago drawings were completed reconfiguring the space at 111 Huron St., which would have everything under one roof," Lamming says.

"The terminal would continue to remain in the core of the city, which would improve efficiency from drivers not having to be transported to the Dennis terminal site for shift change."

"It would also improve oversight and increase presence, which would aid in public safety."

"The goal is to improve communication between all areas of transit staff (management, operations and maintenance) which will result in an improved overall operation and ensure that staff feels safe and comfortable during working hours," Lamming said in a report prepared for Mayor Provenanzo and his decemvirate of ward councillors.

Monday's City Council meeting will be held via teleconference because of the COVID-19 emergency.

SooToday will livestream the meeting starting at 4:30 p.m.