INC NEWS - Durham Station Groundbreaking Ceremony Nov 2 (public invited)

[John Schelp]

>From the City of Durham...

Durham Station Groundbreaking Ceremony November 2

What: Durham Station Transportation Center
Groundbreaking Ceremony

Who: City of Durham

When: Friday, November 2, 2007, at 10 a.m.

Where: The Durham Station construction site is located
at 317 West Pettigrew Street . Attendees should enter
the site at the corner of Jackson and Willard Streets.
 Parking for the ceremony will be available at the
American Tobacco Campus North Deck on Jackson Street
and along Jackson and Willard Streets.

Fast Facts

* City officials will celebrate another significant
downtown milestone with the groundbreaking ceremony
for the Durham Station Transportation Center,
downtown’s future transportation center and home of
local and regional bus and taxi services.

* Slated for completion in early 2009, the $11.8
million station will be at the heart of the newly
created “high-density” zoning and within easy walking
distance of the American Tobacco and Liggett & Myers
redevelopment projects and other destinations in
downtown Durham .  Built where the old Heart of Durham
Hotel once stood, this transportation hub will provide
multiple alternatives to automobile traffic, an
essential component needed to support more densely
populated urban areas.
 
* The Durham Station is projected to attract more than
3 million of Durham Area Transit Authority’s (DATA)
4.6 million annual passengers each year in addition to
passengers from Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) and
Greyhound Lines, Inc.

* Mayor William V. “Bill” Bell , City Manager Patrick
W. Baker and U.S. Representative David Price with the
North Carolina Fourth Congressional District will join
representatives from the DATA Board of Trustees, North
Carolina Department of Transportation, The Freelon
Group and Balfour Beatty Construction to take part in
the ceremony.  Other notable project stakeholders
include TTA, Federal Transit Administration and
Greyhound Lines, Inc. 

* The project was made possible by City, State and
Federal funding. 

* In addition to the Durham Station’s contribution to
the redevelopment of downtown Durham , developers
interested in purchasing and developing a parcel of
land adjacent to the Durham Station site can now
submit a Request for Proposal (RFP) to the City’s
Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD). 
The purpose of this RFP is to facilitate private
development near the Durham Station to include
ground-level retail, office and residential space. 
For more information about this opportunity,
developers should contact Joy Mickle, downtown
development coordinator with the City’s OEWD, at (919)
560-4965, extension 227 or via e-mail at
joy.mickle at durhamnc.gov. 

* Local news media and the public are invited to the
ceremony.  A mult box will be provided on site for
media use.

* For more information about the Durham Station
project or the groundbreaking event, contact Doreen
Sanfelici, senior construction project administrator
with the City’s Department of General Services, at
(919) 560-4197, extension 249 or via e-mail at
doreen.sanfelici at durhamnc.gov.  


About the City’s Department of General Services

The City of Durham’s Department of General Services
provides timely, cost-effective and high quality
services in eight core business functions:
Administration, Cemeteries, Facilities Operations,
Landscape Services, Parking Contract Administration,
Project Management, Real Estate and Urban Forestry. 
Project Management procures, supervises and
coordinates the design and construction of a wide
range of City public improvements.  Services provided
include conducting feasibility studies, project
planning, contract document review and construction
administration for facility renovations, new facility
construction and park renovations.  For more
information on this department, visit the City’s Web
site at www.durhamnc.gov/departments/general. 

About the Durham Area Transit Authority 

Durham Area Transit Authority (DATA) provides safe,
reliable, convenient and accessible transportation for
the citizens and visitors of the Triangle region. 
DATA contracts the operation of its fixed route and
paratransit services.  The fixed route system includes
45 buses serving over 14,000 passenger trips daily on
19 different bus routes.  The paratransit system
includes 41 vans transporting qualified passengers
throughout the City of Durham.  DATA strives to
provide traffic congestion relief, cleaner air and
economic development—all in comfort and safety.  For
additional information about DATA, call (919) 485-RIDE
or visit the City’s Web site at www.DATA.durhamnc.gov.

About the Project Team 

The Freelon Group, founded by Philip G. Freelon, FAIA
(Fellow, American Institute of Architects) in 1990, is
a 54-person architectural firm located in Research
Triangle Park, N.C. The firm has received design
awards on Higher Education, Science/Technology,
Museum/Cultural, Corporate Office and Transportation
projects.  For more information, visit
www.freelon.com. 

Balfour Beatty Construction is a leader in the
commercial construction industry with more than 70
years of experience and leadership.  Services provided
include general contracting, at-risk construction
management, design-build, preconstruction and turnkey
services nationwide. Nationwide, Balfour Beatty
Construction has more than 1,500 employees, with more
than 380 dedicated to the Southeast Division with
offices in Charlotte, Durham and Atlanta.  For more
information, visit www.balfourbeattyus.com.