OCEAN CITY, Md.- Ocean City has seen its transit buildings grow from what was originally a spot for Playland in the 1960s, to a 29 million dollar project. Upgrades that took years to complete and seemed to be never ending for the city, are now complete. A huge step for the town, with upgrades that Ocean City officials say were much needed. Rick Meehan, the Mayor of Ocean City said, "Included in the construction was a new bus storage area where we are standing today that actually all of our buses, including our artic buses fit inside this facility, and will no longer be stored outside." 18 of the 29 million dollars of these project came from both state and federal funds. The other 11 million dollars came from local funding. Not only did the project include a bus storage area, it also added fleet service bays, new administration buildings, a stock room, fleet managers office, new bus washing facility, and a service facility. This project is something many say will have benefits for years to come. Greg Slater, the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation said, "In Ocean City I've seen first hand how important our transit system is especially during those busy summer months. Ocean City's transit service benefits visitors looking for just that reliable trip and Ocean City is just thriving because of these features like this." On his trip around Worcester County, Governor Larry Hogan stopped in to check out the improvements, which was actually home to one of his first jobs at Playland. Hogan said, "I was a trash picker upper for $1.15 an hour but I soon moved on from there to run the go-kart track." He says he's seen the town grow to improve transit services over decades. "You know I just think this is gonna ensure the continued efficient operation of this transit system here for decades to come," he said. Another amazing touch was surprise for the town's public works director, Hal Atkins. The town kept the secret from him that the new facility will be called the Hal O. Atkins Public Works Complex. Mayor Meehan and Governor Hogan both said that this could not have come at a better time as Maryland recently opened up to 100% again and both of them said that they're looking forward to the summer season.
Ocean City Cuts Ribbon on New Transportation Facility
