MIDDLEBURY — Several dozen people greeted the official breaking of ground for the new Addison County Transit Resource (ACTR) headquarters in Middlebury Monday with a cheer.
ACTR Executive Director Jim Molton was joined by several dignitaries in the ceremony that kicked off construction of the 14,000-square-foot facility that is to be located on the northern, undeveloped portion of land that was part of the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) property at 341 Creek Road. This Federal Transportation Administration-funded project is comprised of a two story office building, attached to a six bay maintenance and bus wash facility.
Molton said the agency has 99 percent of the $4.3-million needed for the Community Transportation Center, including a $2.85 million federal grant. His organization will be reaching out to the community to raise the last 1 percent over the coming winter. ACTR recently received a $10,000 gift from the National Bank of Middlebury and $75,000 from the Hoehl Foundation. Middlebury College gave $100,000 earlier this year.
Construction is due to be completed in April.
ACTR provided 172,000 rides by bus and through a dial-a-ride service to local residents during the year ended June 30. That was a 152 percent increase over the preceding decade.
Among those on hand for Monday’s groundbreaking were Ted Brady from the office of Sen. Patrick Leahy; Chris Cole, director of Policy, Planning and Intermodal Development for VTrans; selectboard chair Dean George; Victor Shappy, president of VMS Construction of Rutland, which will be doing the construction; Polly Wheeler of Montpelier-based Black River Design; and Andrew Dey of Steve Horton Construction of Walpole, N.H., which will act as the owner’s representative.