The City of Flin Flon has formally rescinded plans to purchase the Northern Bus Lines (NBL) garage, a move that could alter how and even whether public transit continues in the future.
The city had planned to spend $2.6 million to buy the NBL garage and turn it into a public works shop, but a recent study found it far cheaper to upgrade the current public works site.
“We’ve come to an agreement that we won’t be moving forward on the Northern Bus Lines proposal,” Mayor Cal Huntley announced at the Tuesday, August 18 city council meeting.
The decision raises questions around the long-term future and structure of public busing in Flin Flon.
The city was prepared to take over busing from NBL by September 1, 2015, as the now-failed sale of the NBL garage included two buses.
Now, chief administrative officer Mark Kolt said, NBL is under contract to continue providing public transit until as late as September 1, 2016, though there is a caveat.
Huntley said NBL can opt out of the transit agreement if it sells its building.
“The sale of that building will take a little bit of time, so then we have to make some decisions around bus service if it takes place within that year,” he said.
Huntley said those decisions would revolve around how the service is offered, if it is offered and whether the current model will be changed.
As for the current public works site, the city has not committed to upgrades but Huntley said the intent is to “start exploring that option.”
Consulting firm BridgmanCollaborative Architecture determined the city would need to spend $2,435,000 to buy and upgrade the NBL garage. Prior to the firm’s study, the city budgeted $2.6 million for the project.
The study further determined the city could meet its needs by upgrading the current public works site, near Channing, by spending $2,005,000 – a savings of $430,000.
