Coast RTA renovations help make terminal, central office more ADA compliant [The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)]

Oct. 31--CONWAY -- Nearly $450,000 in renovations are being made to the Coast RTA main terminal, including an effort to get the older building compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Work began in July to address a number of concerns officials had with the older building on Third Avenue in Conway. Some of the renovations include new floors, ceilings, cubicles and ticket area inside the terminal, as well as re-wiring electric and improvements to the employee area and the administrative offices.

Joe Ponticello, internal controls manager for the RTA, said the project, which is slated to be completed by the end of the year, has encompassed a number of various areas. He said the restrooms were completely gutted and remodeled with lower sinks and handrails.

Ponticello said the handicap ramp in the front of the building was rebuilt and extended, and automated doorways and handrails were installed in the main bus terminal area.

"One of the major things that we really wanted to focus on was the ADA compliance issues," he said. "Our building was very old and dated and we knew we weren't in compliance with ADA requirements."

Coast RTA will use $352,000 from funds it received through an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant, as well as $48,000 of local funding and $43,000 it received from an insurance claim when the building received flood damage a couple years ago, Ponticello said.

He said significant electrical work was completed, including a modernization of the building's electrical grid.

"We're not afraid when a breaker pops anymore," Ponticello said.

He said the renovations are far from over.

"There are still things we need to complete," Ponticello said. "The maintenance shop will be the next step of the project. We need to go in there, we need to take all the equipment out, we need to give it a thorough power washing and we need to give it a fresh paint job."

Ponticello said efforts to repair the parking lot, including a re-sealing job and landscaping in front of the building will round out the project.

The renovations come at the same time a feasibility study is being commissioned that will look at the creation of an intermodal complex, which would serve as a hub for such modes of transportation as Coast RTA, biking, taxi and even Greyhound. It's unclear how the renovations will impact the study, which will determine where the county should have an intermodal complex, if at all.

Contact JASON M. RODRIGUEZat 626-0301 or follow him at Twitter.com/TSN_jrodriguez.

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