A contract to design a site plan for new bus bays and electric vehicle charging stations at the SunTran facility was approved by city officials on Tuesday, clearing the way for a series of federally-funded, major upgrades at the northeast Ocala site.
On Tuesday, Ocala City Council members unanimously approved a professional services agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates to design the site plan for the expansion of the city’s SunTran facility, which is located at 1805 NE 30th Avenue.
According to a city staff report, the planned upgrades include the expansion of the site’s single-story maintenance building to over 4,400 square feet, and the addition of two new bus bays, six new charging stations for 35-foot buses, and 12 new charging stations for Ford E-350 vehicles. Canopies will also be built at the site to cover the charging stations.
Over the summer, the city appropriated a Low or No Emissions Grant that it received from the Federal Transit Administration for $16,166,822. Those federal funds will be used to upgrade and support the integration of electric vehicles into Ocala’s SunTran transit system.
Through the application process for the Low or No Emissions Grant, the Center of Transportation and Environment and Kimley-Horn and Associates were identified as project partners by the city.
According to the city, CTE will serve as the project management consultant and Kimley-Horn will provide all design and engineering services required for the project.
A professional services agreement with CTE was previously approved by the Ocala City Council on June 18, 2024.
The changes come amidst continued efforts by local officials to connect various parts of the city through projects that are funded in part, or wholly, by federal grants.
In November, city officials approved the purchase of an electric trolley bus that will operate around downtown Ocala. That bus will be acquired with federal funds.
Last month, the city approved the purchase of three new, cutaway-style buses for SunTran to replace vehicles that have reached their end of life. That purchase was also funded by a federal grant.
