Minnesota Department of Transportation

1. How to Build a Better Bus Garage:Mn/DOT’s Facility Guidebook18th National Conference on Rural Public and Intercity Bus TransportationGerry Weiss, State Program Administrator Principal Minnesota Department of Transportation

2. Lack of Process toDetermine Facility Needs • Increasing Number of Requests for Facilities • No Process to Determine Need • No Process to Determine Facility Size • No Process to Determine Appropriate Cost • No Process to Determine Benefit/Cost • No Process to Rank Facility Requests

3. Development of Facility Guidebook • Need to provide a clear, consistent and streamlined process of documenting the need for a facility, and clarify the steps required to submit application for project funding • Need to establish a uniform process for Mn/DOT to use when evaluating funding requests

4. Facility Guidebook Overview • Provide a summary of the planning and application process • More involvement from the Mn/DOT Transit Project Manager • Clearly define the roles of all involved parties • Do as much “up front” planning as possible • Provide guidelines based on other facilities • Develop a relationship with local agencies

5. Facility Guidebook Overview(Continue) • Provide guidelines based on other facilities • Develop a relationship with local units of government • Provide examples • Describe how projects are evaluated • Develop application process

6. Facility Application Process • Step 1: Project Definition • Step 2: Project Development • Step 3: Project Submittal • Step 4: Application for Funding • Step 5: Final Design and Construction

7. Step 1 – Project Definition • Project Definition is the process that promotes initial discussions between an applicant and local government and documents the need for the project timelines • Complete Project Need and Justification worksheet to document need

8. FACILITY DESIGN - WORKSHEET 2 Recommended Planning Guidelines TRANSIT PROVIDER INPUT: Input your data in the yellow cells only. The remaining data is calculated automatically Total Annual System Miles (from Transit Report or Projected) - Total Bus Fleet, all classes of buses 1: RECOMMENDED NUMBER OF MAINTENANCE BAYS Number of Bays based on vehicle miles per year 0 Number of Bays based on number of buses 0 The above two numbers are averaged to determine the recommended number of bays: RECOMMENDED NUMBER OF MAINTENANCE BAYS 0

9. FACILITY DESIGN - WORKSHEET 2(Continue) 2: RECOMMENDED NUMBER OF WASH BAYS 0 3: APPROXIMATE AREAS FOR MAINTENANCE SERVICES AND TRANSIT GARAGE 3A: Overall Maintenance Bay Area 3B: Parts Room 3C: Maintenance Storage 3D: Tire Storage 3E: Wash Bays 3F: Transportation and Administrative Services Sum total of individual Maintenance Service Areas, ie the Transit Garage Check: Total Maintenance Service Area based on fleet miles The above two numbers are averaged to determine the recommended number of bays: RECOMMENDED PRELIMINARY AREA OF TRANSIT GARAGE 4: RECOMMENDED NUMBER OF FUELING STATIONS 0 4A: Automobile Parking Area 4B: Total Area of Building 4C: Total Site Circulation Area 5: SITE AREA RECOMMENDED MINIUM SITE AREA, IN ACRES 0

10. Step One Project Definition(Continue) • Conduct initial meetings with local government • Review and project approval

11. Step 2 – Project Development • Site investigation and selection • Develop concept layout • Develop concept cost estimates • Complete Benefit/Cost analysis

12. COST/BENEFIT– WORKSHEET 4 Costs: (actual costs of the proposed facility per bus per year over the useful life of the facility Project Cost (new bus garage facility) Number of buses Cost per Bus Years of benefit Cost per Bus per Year Benefits(Direct measurable benefits such as service hours savings, eliminating a lease,eliminate cost from private provider) Service hours saved per bus/year costs per hour of operation total buses annual savings $ - savings per bus per year Cost/Benefit Ratio /1.00 << Enter information in yellow cells only

13. Step 2 – Project Development (Continue) • Obtain concept approval from local government • Develop support documentation • Amend Capital Improvement Plan • Submittal

14. Site investigation and Selection • Determine if there are any environmental issues with the property • What type and size building is physically possible on the site (s) • What condition the existing building is in and what potential it has to accommodate the applicant’s need

15. Concept Site Plan • Site boundary • Lot area • Identification of unusual conditions (topography, wetlands, parklands, archaeologically, etc.) • Building location/layout • Roadway access • Available utilities • Conduct Phase 1 Environmental site review • If necessary conduct Phase 2 EA and drilling investigation

16. Concept Layout • Applicant is required to develop a concept layout of the new facility or renovation • Concept layout includes space needs, circulation and facility components

17. Concept Cost Estimates • Capital recovery • Utility costs • Labor costs • Maintenance costs • Facility support services

18. Benefit/Cost Analysis • The purpose of completing a benefit/cost analysis is to determine the advantages of making improvements and their relationship with the resulting costs of improvements • Complete vehicle operating cost savings worksheet • Complete benefit/cost analysis worksheet • Complete buy/lease worksheet

19. Concept approval • After completing the benefit/cost analysis worksheet, the applicant has enough information to present to present proposal to local funding agencies to receive comments and concept approval • This step is necessary to verify that the project can be constructed and determine if there are any conditions that will affect the cost of the project.

20. Develop Support Documentation • Useful Life (assure operation of facility for its useful life, normally 20 – 30 years) • Local Match (applicant has commitment for 20% local match) • Project Readiness (includes a checklist of steps toward project implementation)

21. Step 3 – Project Submittal • Applicant submits all worksheets in Step 2 to Mn/DOT Project Manager for review and forward to Office of Transit • Office of Transit will review, rank and create a list of priority projects • Office of Transit will then determine funding source (State General Funds, State Bond Funds, Section 5309)

22. Step 4 – Application for Funding • Application of approved projects must include: description of project; document that project has been included in STIP (if Federally funded); CE documentation; description of service area • Priority projects that have been authorized to proceed now go into the formal grant process • If project is going to be funded with Federal Funds, CE must be approved by the FTA prior to grant submittal • Applicant enters into contract agreement with Mn/DOT

23. Step 5 – Final Design and Construction • Preparation of contract documents • Applicant must enter into a contract with a registered architect to prepare final construction documents and be the administrator of the construction contract between owner and contractor

24. Step 5 – Final Design and ConstructionBidding and Contractor Administration • Once project has been bid and approved for construction, the actual work of building begins • Bidding process is influenced by the Federal or State grant requirements • Architect retained by the applicant will administer the contract per the agreed General Conditions

25. More Information • Checkout our website at: • www.dot.state.mn.us/transit/grantapplications/Capital_facility/greatermnappindex.html • Contract Mn/DOT Office of Transit, 395 John Ireland Boulevard, MS 430, Saint Paul , Minnesota 55155 • Gerry Weiss: 651-366-4183, email: ga.weiss@dot.state.mn.us