Harbor Transit breaks ground on new centralized operations center, plans open date for 2027
Leaders from throughout the Tri-Cities gathered on Wednesday, March 25, as Harbor Transit broke ground on its new operations center.
By Matt DeYoung
The Grand Haven Tribune
GRAND HAVEN TWP. — Leaders from throughout the Tri-Cities gathered on Wednesday, March 25, as Harbor Transit broke ground on its new operations center.
The new 47,350-foot facility will be on 172nd Avenue between Walmart and Aldi, and will replace Harbor Transit’s current home at 440 N. Ferry St.
“We’re very excited. This has been a work in progress,” said Harbor Transit Director Scott Borg. “With working with the Federal Transit Administration, applying for grants, receiving grants — it’s been going on almost four years, so today is very exciting for us.”
Borg said the new facility will be key to getting all of Harbor Transit’s staff and services in the same location.
“Currently, we’re in a facility where we don’t have all of our staff under one roof,” he said. “We’re having to lease space from City Hall to house our finance department. … This is going to modernize our fleet — reliability, comfort and environmental sustainability — and improve access for every member of our community.”
Borg noted new housing developments in Grand Haven, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Township, and Ferrysburg, in addition to Grand Haven Township, that in the coming months and years will add thousands of homes.
“This area, it’s tough to find a location, very tough, especially where it’s accessible to businesses,” he said. “We were able to take a look at where our ridership is mainly going, and two spots were very popular — Meijer and Walmart, and now Aldi as well. So this is an ideal spot to build a public transit facility.”
Harbor Transit is a public transportation authority, funded by the federal government, the Michigan Department of Transportation, and local millages. It operates 27 ADA-accessible buses and averages around 13,500 rides per month.
Borg said construction is expected to be completed in about 13 months.
Harbor Transit also debuted a new logo to coincide with the municipalities it now serves, including the cities of Ferrysburg and Grand Haven, the townships of Grand Haven and Spring Lake, and the Village of Spring Lake.
Through the Lakeshore Trolley, Harbor Transit also provides service to Fruitport.
Learn more at harbortransit.org.
— Read the full story at The Grand Haven Tribune.
