The transit system for the greater Holland/Zeeland area officially dedicated and opened its new $4.7 million operations facility on Greenway Drive on Oct. 4 with a ribbon cutting ceremony and public open house attended by more than 140 guests.
“On behalf of Governor Rick Snyder and the state of Michigan, I'd like to say how proud we are of all your accomplishments. The MAX has come a long way from the ‘Dial-A-Ride’ service that started in 1974,” said Kirk Steudle, director of the Michigan Department of Transportation, who attended the event and spoke on behalf of Gov. Rick Snyder.
“Your work ethic and positive attitude have made all of this a reality,” he continued. “This facility that will not only serve customers better, it will improve employee morale and employee engagement. That’s huge. That’s immeasurable.”
Others speaking at the dedication ceremony included former Congressman Pete Hoekstra, who helped secure federal seed earmarks for the project, state Sen. Arlan Meekhof, Greg Van Woerkom, district director for Congressman Bill Huizenga, Clark Harder, executive director of the Michigan Public Transit Association, Russ TeSlaa, MAX Board president, and MAX Director Linda LeFebre.
Following the ceremonial ribbon cutting, the Greenway facility was opened to the public for lunch and tours. MAX also operated a free shuttle from the Padnos Transfer Center to the new Greenway facility to assist transit-dependent passengers in getting to the open house.
The facility was funded with 80 percent federal capital grants and 20 percent matching state funds. The new 33,500 sq. ft. facility includes an inside bus storage for 28 buses, a conference/training center, central dispatch, office areas, driver lounge and patio, and locker room area. DLZ of Lansing designed the building, which was constructed by Lakewood Construction of Holland.
