Updated at 5:45 p.m.
The Marble Valley Regional Transit District — which operates Rutland County’s main public transportation, The Bus — is relocating the bus route’s main transfer point Wednesday due to ongoing health and safety concerns at the state-owned Rutland Transit Center.
Environmental hazards such as animal pests and trash build-up have persisted in the center due to a lack of regular maintenance, the transit district’s Executive Director Jade McClallen said in an interview. Also, the district had to close the public bathrooms in the center due to misuse, McClallen said.
A recent stabbing incident at the transit center last week — as reported by WCAX and the Rutland Herald — created urgency around ongoing security concerns and served as a catalyst for the immediate relocation, she said.
“The increase in illegal activity had raised concern from the community and our drivers and their families enough for us to recognize that we could no longer be down there,” McClallen said.
For the past five years, the transit district has urged the Vermont Department of Building and General Services to maintain the “basic safety and sanitation standards of the lease agreement,” but no substantial and lasting improvements have been made at the center, according to a letter signed by the McClallen and transit district’s Board of Commissioners Chair Devon Neary.
The Vermont Department of Building and General Services received notice of the relocation Tuesday, and the Commissioner Wanda Minoli visited the center to make on-site assessments of the area that very day, according to Department of Building and General Services’ spokesperson Cole Barney.
The transit district changed the transfer point to the Rutland Amtrak train station parking lot on Evelyn Street in the interim until the center is rehabilitated, McClallen said in an interview.
“The conditions within and surrounding the Transit Center have deteriorated to such a degree that (the Marble Valley Regional Transit District) leadership are compelled to take immediate action to protect the health and well-being of its employees and riders,” McClallen and Neary wrote. “The facility, in its current state, is not only a public health risk but a liability that undermines broader efforts to revitalize downtown Rutland.”
In the letter addressed to Gov. Phil Scott, the head of the Department of Building and General Services, the Agency of Transportation Secretary and the Rutland City mayor, McClallen and Neary urged the state to assume responsibility for rehabilitating the Rutland Transit Center for public use.
The Rutland City leadership and the Vermont Agency of Transportation supported the relocation, according to the letter.
While the move is temporary, McClallen said the timeframe for the rehabilitation of the center has yet to be determined, and so she does not know how long the transfer point will remain at the train station. The transit district notified the public through signs and staff stationed at the center to ensure minimal disruption of riders’ transportation plans this week, she said.
The transit district’s administrative work, bus storage and maintenance operations are separate from the transit center, and will not be impacted by the change, she said.
The transit district communicated with the Department of Building and General Services commissioner about the need for increased security presence, additional lighting and increased sanitation and maintenance, McClallen said. The department, the transit district and the city are working on a plan going forward, she said.
The department has addressed “many of the specific cleaning and maintenance issues,” and is working towards dealing with other problems at the facility, Barney wrote in a statement, and continues to urge the transit management staff to reach out to law enforcement when security concerns arise.
The department is committed to partnering with lawmakers and local leaders to address the “larger public safety, mental health and addiction issues” facing the city and state, Barney wrote.
The Rutland City Police Department has also stepped in to provide coverage of the center in the absence of state-sponsored security, and the Rutland City Fire Department and Department of Public Works has helped mitigate sanitation concerns in the past, Neary said in an interview. The Rutland City Mayor Mike Doenges has helped to coordinate meetings with partners to devise local solutions to concerns at the center, he added.
But, Neary said, local leaders are limited in their ability to holistically address concerns, and it is the state’s responsibility as landlord of the center to provide long-term solutions to the facility’s persistent problems.
While a hard decision, Neary said the relocation to the train station parking lot is necessary for the safety of riders and staff, and he hopes it will spur further action to aid in revitalizing the city’s downtown.
“This is a cry for help,” Neary said. “We were really left with no other option than to leave, to force the state to engage in a productive conversation that will lead to permanent solutions that benefit Rutland.”
The Rutland City mayor did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
