Officials from the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority and city of Pinellas Park celebrated the Grand Opening of PSTA's first mid-county transit center in Pinellas Park Jan. 13. The leaders gathered with PSTA and city staff as well as bus riders and members of the public for the official ribbon cutting and grand opening of the new Pinellas Park Transit Center.
"This is a win-win and a perfect example of intergovernmental partnership between PSTA and the city of Pinellas Park," said PSTA Board Chair and Clearwater City Council Member Bill Jonson. "Plus, it's an equally fine example of a Public-Private Partnership, with Boulder Venture South providing the land on which this new facility sits." The new transit center is PSTA's first mid-county Customer Service facility and is expected to go a long way in helping the agency meet the demand for additional service centers and ticket outlets as transit ridership continues at all-time, record setting levels.
"No matter what our funding status, we have to maintain our commitment to our customers and that's what this facility is all about," says PSTA CEO Brad Miller. Miller says the state of the art facility features many new amenities and resources for PSTA's third busiest transfer location including:
- Public restrooms
- A two station Customer Service booth
- Security cameras
- ATM machine
- New sidewalk for safer access to shopping
- New concrete in bus lanes
- A raised traffic table for safer pedestrian crossing
The ribbon cutting marked the opening of PSTA's first new Customer Service center in 13 years. The last being PSTA's Grand Central Station, which opened along Central Avenue in St. Petersburg in 2002. PSTA officials say the new Pinellas Park Transit Center and its amenities will be valuable resources for both the surrounding community the county's transit riders.
