Island Transit antenna meeting scheduled

Residents near Island Transit’s main campus will have a chance to comment on the agency’s plans for a 40-foot-tall addition to its new headquarters that is under construction.

Transit officials want to place an antenna behind the new maintenance building, which will be 30 feet tall.

The meeting takes place at 5:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 21 at Island Transit’s headquarters near the intersection of Highway 20 and Parker Road.

Martha Rose, executive director for Island Transit, said the proposed antenna will be located out of the line of sight from the highway and it won’t extend higher than the antennas that will be placed on top of the new building.

Rose said the new antenna is needed to improve communications for Island Transit on Whidbey and Camano islands. It will eliminate dead spots and it will improve communications with emergency services. Once installed, the antennas that will be installed on top of the new building will be removed.

Island Transit received a $17.92 million grant from the Federal Transit Authority’s “State of Good Repair” program to pay for the new facility. Construction is currently underway on a 15,000-square-foot administration and operations center along with a maintenance building that will be large enough for 12 bus bays. Officials have said the new headquarters will be large enough to meet Island Transit’s needs for 20 years.

 

Contact Whidbey News Times Staff reporter Nathan Whalen at nwhalen@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360-675-6611 ext. 5058.

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