New Transit Bus Terminal

During its June 13 meeting, the Monroe City Council passed an ordinance to buy property from the Ouachita Parish Police Jury to be used as the new location for the city’s transit bus terminal. The current location on Catalpa St. will be moved to the adjacent property next to the Health Unit on Desiard Street. District 3 Councilwoman Juanita Woods inquired what it would cost the city to acquire the property. Woods also wanted to know the plans for the property once purchased. Marc Keenan, Director of Monroe Transit, asked the council to approve the purchase price of $185,000.00. Keenan said that the new terminal is a $5.5 million project and that 80% of it is from federal grants. He said that the city has “roughly” 75% in hand now from the federal government. Keenan also said that when the terminal is complete, the majority of the waiting area will be inside a two-story facility. He pointed out that the plot of land is twice the size of where the Catalpa St. terminal is now, so they can really do some things there.

District 2 Councilwoman Gretchen Ezernack said that it will obviously be a much more modern facility and accessible and convenient as far as the amenities for the passengers. Mayor Friday Ellis told the council that this project “will give the city a first-class operational base”. Ellis also said this project “helps bring our community” to critical services like the health unit and voter’s registration office. Ellis thanked the area’s state delegation for securing the money and federal grants and Keenan for his vision to make the project become a reality. District 4 Councilman Carday Marshall had concerns about the status of Greyhound, which unloads its passengers at the Catalpa St. location. Marshall wanted to know if Greyhound was included in the project, and Keenan said that at this point in time, Greyhound will not be picking up and letting off passengers on Catalpa. This reporter recently went to Ruston to pick up people who otherwise would have come straight to Monroe.

Keenan said that unless the administration changes its mind, he doesn’t believe it will be a part of that, but there are those who are not convinced that a new terminal is needed. They believe the intent is to get funds through grants, but not necessarily for a new terminal. Some believe the proposed land purchase from the Police Jury may have been rushed. The Monroe Dispatch was told that questions raised by concerned citizens were not sufficiently answered by council members or Keenan. There have long been issues between Greyhound and city transit managers. There are even concerns that the city wants “to purge” the downtown area of “certain elements” because of the economic activity that is presently going on around the riverfront area. By moving the terminal away from downtown, and with Greyhound not picking up passengers anymore, some would not be seen in the area. There was a controversy concerning Greyhound moving to the Catalpa location because “concerns” were raised about crime, even though there is an abundance of law enforcement present in the downtown area. There are Monroe Police headquarters and Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies in/around the parish courthouse to help keep downtown safe. Still, there may be other factors the public does not know about; a new terminal, they believe, is not the answer.