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Who is Completing the Application?
Please provide contact information for the person who will complete the online application for this project. The email address and password entered here will be used to complete and submit both Pre-Applications and Applications.
Mariana Raschke
Associate at the Goodman Corporation
713-951-7951
Primary Agency Information
Please provide contact information for the agency official who is representing the project sponsor. This individual will be considered the official applicant and must be authorized by their agency to submit this request for funding and make necessary assertations and representations on the agency’s behalf.
10000 Emmett F. Lowry Expwy, Suite 1220
Texas City
TX
77591
Additional Agency Information
25 Oak Drive
Lake Jackson
TX
77566
Project Information
Southern Brazoria County Transit Operations and Maintenance Facility
Brazoria County
101 Canna Ln, Lake Jackson, TX 77566
101 Canna Ln, Lake Jackson, TX 77566
Connect Transit (the public transportation arm of the Gulf Coast Center) operates the Southern Brazoria County Transit (SBCT) system, which provides fixed route and complementary ADA-paratransit service to the cities of Angleton, Lake Jackson, Clute, and Freeport. Connect also provides demand response service throughout the rural areas of Brazoria County. Despite this large transit presence, Connect Transit currently has no dedicated “home” for maintenance, fueling, and administrative activities and vehicle fleet storage in southern Brazoria County. Rather, Connect vehicles are stored in an unsecured open lot behind a Gulf Coast Center clinical facility in Angleton which was not designed to include the storage of large vehicles, and for which no security or maintenance space is provided. Connect Transit staff are afforded a small amount of office space in the same facility. To maintain the SBCT fleet, Connect Transit contracts with a private automotive maintenance shop in Angleton. Fueling of the vehicles requires travel to commercial fuel stations at various locations around the county. Bus cleaning is infrequent due to the lack of adequate transit vehicle support services, amenities, and equipment at the location where the vehicles are currently stored. The storage of the fleet in Angleton rather than in a more centralized location within the SBCT service area results in excessive deadhead travel, and the associated increased vehicle wear and tear and fuel costs. The need to transport the transit vehicles to offsite commercial locations for maintenance and fueling also results in excessive mileage on the vehicles and operational inefficiencies and does not necessarily represent the most financially advantageous arrangement for Connect Transit. Long term, the current operations and maintenance approach does not support a sustainable, cost-effective transit operation. Connect aims to establish a true base for transit service in southern Brazoria County, including proper vehicle storage, maintenance, fueling, cleaning, and administrative space.
The City of Lake Jackson has been a strong advocate for the SBCT system since its inception in 2010, and greatly values the benefits the service affords the residents of Lake Jackson and Brazoria County. It is this appreciation for the service and the desire to see it not only continue, but thrive, that led to the City offering a partnership that constitutes the basis of this project. The City has made the offer to Connect Transit to maintain the Connect fleet at the city’s in-house Dean Morgan Service Center (DMSC) maintenance facility at which their extensive municipal fleet is maintained. In addition to utilizing the existing maintenance infrastructure, two additional maintenance bays, a cleaning bay, and a parts storage area will be constructed to provide services unique to the maintenance of Connect’s transit vehicles. City mechanics will maintain and fuel Connect vehicles at a rate agreed to between the City and Connect under an interlocal agreement which is being reviewed. The City has identified a vacant area of land within the DMSC property which they have offered to lease to Connect Transit to allow construction of an operations and administrative facility as well as permanent, covered, secure storage for the transit fleet. The covered bus parking will allow for the storage of up to 20 transit vehicles. The 2,500 square foot administrative building will house office space for Connect staff, a secure farebox room, and dedicated space for drivers to complete paperwork, training, and take breaks. Up to 12 staff parking spaces will also be provided. Maintenance bays, parts storage, and covered bus cleaning area will be constructed adjacent to the City’s existing work bays to supplement their ability to maintain the added transit vehicles. Newly constructed facilities for Connect are expected to encompass approximately 20,000 square feet and utilize approximately one acre of land, with room for growth to a future fleet of 15 to 20 vehicles or more. For the first time ever, SBCT will have consolidated, secure office space, maintenance bays, covered bus storage, fueling, and bus cleaning in a single location, eliminating the geographically scattered and piecemeal nature of the current operation now that SBCT has been demonstrated to be successful. The SBCT system includes three individual city circulator routes and two intercity connector “regional” routes. The location of the proposed facility (101 Canna Ln, Lake Jackson) is almost in the center of the 18-mile long service area versus the current location which is only one mile from the northern extremity of the service area (101 Tigner, Angleton), resulting in the reduction of deadhead miles.
Operating from the proposed centralized location in Lake Jackson, the project will result in increased operational efficiency of the SBCT system and decreased operating costs. The City of Lake Jackson has offered to let Connect Transit co-locate needed transit facilities at the City’s Dean Morgan Service Center maintenance facility where its large-vehicle maintenance and fueling operation exists. Partnering with the City for maintenance, fueling, and storage of the fleet will result in a more efficient and cost-effective operation to meet federally required safety and security requirements, and to effectively implement the required continuing control of federally funded assets. The central location will eliminate approximately 11,618 annual deadhead miles (41.4% reduction) currently attributable to positioning vehicles at the beginning and end of the service day at a starting point not central within the SBCT service area. Deadhead miles and staff time associated with routinely transporting the vehicles to commercial locations for maintenance and fuel will be eliminated. Operating costs will be decreased by reducing fuel usage, vehicle wear and tear, and negotiating lower maintenance and fueling rates with the City compared to private maintenance shops and commercial fueling stations. Eliminating deadhead miles will reduce fuel consumed by 3,300 gallons per year ($8,000 savings the first year and $600,000 over the 40-year life of the facilities). Reduction of wear and tear and extended vehicle life will save $7,800 the first year and $584,000 over the 40-year life of the facilities. City facilities and maintenance activities are more compatible with Connect’s larger vehicles. The City’s proposed personnel labor rate of $50/hr. plus parts is 41.8% lower than the $86/hr. plus parts that Connect currently pays to its fleet maintenance vendor. The City has agreed to fuel the Connect fleet at cost plus $0.05 per gallon (markup for wear and tear on the pumps, electricity, inspections, etc.). The City purchases fuel below market rate, currently $2.33/gallon, unleaded. Connect Transit, at commercial stations, is currently paying $2.49/gallon. Even with a $0.05/gallon markup, Connect would still save $0.11/gallon with City fueling on the same site (currently a 4.4% savings). The City periodically solicits bids for larger quantities of fuel and longer time periods. This results in more stable pricing compared to daily fluctuations at local gas stations. Although Connect currently has an all gasoline fleet, the City also provides diesel and CNG fueling, providing maximum flexibility for the Connect fleet in the future. Increasing efficiencies and decreasing costs ultimately allows Connect to provide more and higher quality service for Brazoria County transit riders. Connect will also have more control, timely scheduling of service, and designated places for activities like cleaning and secure storage.
No
No
Less than $100 million
(Maintain) Transit Facility State of Good Repair
1280000
Project Development/Readiness
30% PS&E
Categorical Exclusion (CE)
02/28/2019
D List, Other
No
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
90%
No
07/30/2018
12 SBCT Maint Facility Utlility Evaluation.pdf
Yes
City of Lake Jackson Concurrence.pdf
4 SBCT Maint Facility Project Dev Timeline.xlsx
The project will significantly affect the City of Lake Jackson’s Dean Morgan Service Center (DMSC) through the construction of maintenance and administrative facilities to support Connect Transit. Sufficient improvements to the City’s DMSC will be made to enhance their ability to effectively maintain the Connect Transit fleet. The ground lease will provide Connect Transit with the federally required continuing control of the capital investment throughout its useful life. Project design is underway with completion of 30% PS&E anticipated by December 31, 2018 and 90% PS&E by April 30, 2019. No ROW is necessary for this project. The City of Lake Jackson has agreed to lease property to Connect Transit for the construction of maintenance bays, parts storage, covered bus cleaning area, administration facility, staff parking, and covered fleet storage. A draft site plan and ground lease have been developed and are in review by both parties. The ground lease is expected to be executed by January 31, 2019. That will secure all property required to implement this project. Connect Transit has submitted a request for a Categorical Exclusion to FTA for the project. Connect has also completed a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, with a finding of no evidence of Recognized Environmental Conditions. Part of the 30% plan development included a review of all utilities on and adjacent to the proposed construction site. No utility relocations will be required to proceed with this project. Water, sanitary sewer, and storm sewers needed to serve the proposed facilities will be extended to the facilities according to the final plans during construction. FTA has been engaged in several aspects of fulfilling the requirements for development of this capital project. Individual products have been completed to address each. A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, a Categorical Exclusion request, a Title VI Site Equity Analysis, site selection analysis, site survey, preliminary site layout, preliminary building floor plan, and summary and review appraisals for the property to be included in the ground lease have all been completed and submitted to FTA for review. A public meeting was held within the transit service area to inform the public about the project and to fulfill the Title VI requirements. A Site Selection Analysis was completed to choose the most advantageous location for SBCT maintenance, vehicle storage, and administrative activities. The analysis considered such factors as the amount of deadhead, site development costs, surrounding land uses, traffic impacts, and others. In addition to evaluating the option of staying at the current Angleton location for vehicle storage and administration and continuing to utilize private vendors for maintenance and fueling, the analysis also evaluated the merits of the City of Lake Jackson partnership (the proposed project), and the purchase of a private parcel for a consolidated operation in northern Lake Jackson. The analysis determined the partnership with the City of Lake Jackson to be the most advantageous to Connect Transit across the 12 evaluation criteria. Public involvement activities: Connect Transit sought community input on the proposed project during a month-long public comment period. Between December 5, 2017, and January 5, 2018, Connect Transit accepted public comments on the draft Title VI Equity Analysis. Notifications of this public comment period were released via public notices in The Facts (a local Brazoria County newspaper) and on the Connect Transit website. A copy of the Title VI Equity Analysis was available to review via the website. Connect Transit also reached out via email to Brazoria County Health and Human Service agencies serving potentially impacted Environmental Justice (EJ) populations. A public meeting was conducted on Monday, December 18, 2017 at the Southern Brazoria Community Service Center in Angleton.
Map/Location
Benefit/Cost Analysis
SBCT Maintenance Facility_Transit-Active-Transportation-Safety-Benefits.xlsx
Facility Emissions Benefits.pdf
Planning Factors - Environmental Justice
No
Planning Factors - Includes Facility Maintenance Plan/Strategies
Yes
Planning Factors - Planning Coordination
Yes
The proposed project is included in the Gulf Coast Center/Connect Transit FY2017 – FY2021 Plan. The City of Lake Jackson, as the provider of the land upon which the facility will be built, and the Gulf Coast Center are currently developing a ground lease, maintenance interlocal agreement, and other agreements that will govern the use of the land and the other services that the City has agreed to provide to Connect Transit as part of this project.
Gulf Coast Center/Connect Transit FY2017 – FY2021 Plan is included in the Readiness Documents submitted with this application
Planning Factors - Provides Safe Ped/Bike Accommodations
Yes
Planning Factors - Ridership Impact (Expected Ridership Growth)
Yes
Supported or Served by Multiple Transit Providers (Max 20 Points)
Yes
Connect is currently the only transit provider that is planning to use the facility. However, Connect is amenable to coordinating with Brazoria County partner agencies who provide demand response or other similar transit service. Connect is anticipated to have capacity to accommodate maintenance for these partner agencies within a reasonable degree. NOTE: Connect Transit currently has no facility that serves the purpose that the proposed project will serve – namely, the consolidation in one location of vehicle storage, maintenance, fueling, and cleaning for the Brazoria County fleet as well as administrative office space for Connect employees. The current facility where the buses are stored and office space is utilized was never designed to accommodate transit operations, maintenance, or administration.
Years Beyond Useful Life Benchmark
More than 10 years beyong useful life benchmark