Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) led with a golden shovel as Santa Cruz Metro broke ground on its $15 million Judy K. Souza Operations Facility.
The groundbreaking signaled the final phase of the transit agency’s MetroBase consolidated operations in Santa Cruz, which is expected to create more than 300 much-needed construction jobs in the area over the next two years.
Most funding for this phase comes from state bond revenues. Federal and local sales tax funds make up the remaining budget, with tens of millions in other federal funds contributing to prior phases of MetroBase, including the completed administration and maintenance buildings, bus wash, and the natural gas fueling and storage facility. MetroBase is located in the Harvey West Park area of Santa Cruz on Highway 9.
Santa Cruz Metro is finalizing the bidding on the project, which will completely replace a 30-year-old, substandard operations facility originally built to last five years. Construction is scheduled to begin by January 2013.
The Judy K. Souza Operations Facility is named after the District’s first female bus driver and supervisor, who passed away in 2011. Her 32-year career started as a driver and she rose to become the first female superintendent of operations.