MACON, Ga. — Macon has all kinds of historic buildings, each with their own story.
On Cherry Street, you'll find Terminal Station, a building steeped in tradition and history.
The popular event space isn't completely Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant, per an inspection report from an accessibility consultant. So, the Macon Transit Authority, which owns the building, is starting the work to make the necessary updates.
"All this has to come up. These are not ADA-accessible ramps," said MTA President and CEO Craig Ross, pointing at ramps behind the storied building.
That's the case at much of the century-old Terminal Station. The building has its quirks, but Ross says they didn't know about possible accessibility violations until earlier this year.
"A lot of accusations had been made. One about the elevators, and one about the meeting rooms upstairs," Ross explained.
It came in a public comment period at a monthly transit authority board meeting. Ross decided to look into it and hired an architect.
"His 21-page resume has quite extensive knowledge of ADA compliance," Ross said.
Consultant Bill Hecker found quite a lot. While the elevators, stairs and meeting rooms are all compliant, the authority has plenty to fix.
Grates outside some of the main entrances need replacing so wheelchair wheels can't get stuck. They also need to add a barrier under a staircase so people who are visually impaired don't bump into the stairs.
There's one major project: The sidewalk on the left side of the building, near the Division of Driver Services office. Parts of the paving are uneven, and some of the ramps are too steep.
"All of this. That. And all of that has to be redone. Every bit of it," Ross said, pointing at the area.
Ross says there's still plenty to do to make sure the project gets going, but he says it will likely be finished by next summer. Their next step is hiring an architect to prepare a cost analysis. Ross estimates the project could cost upwards of $200,000.
The Macon Transit Authority would not foot the entire bill. The Georgia Department of Transportation and Federal Transit Administration will likely help them pay for the updates.
Ross says a likely bus fare increase next year would help pay for MTA's portion, but it will not cause the increase. Ross says that must happen regardless of the Terminal Station project because of rising maintenance costs for its bus fleet.
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