MARK SCHUMANN

Last May, the GoLine bus transfer point was moved from its controversial location at the north end of the Old Town neighborhood to the Vero Beach Municipal Airport. The move was to be temporary.

According to City Manager Jim O’Connor, he and Airport Direct Eric Menger have met several times recently with Senior Resource Association President Karen Diegl to consider her request to build a permanent GoLine hub on Airport property.

At the time the City and the County approved a two-year lease allowing the GoLine to operate a hub at the Vero Beach Airport, a second lease was also approved giving GoLine an opportunity to built a permanent hub in the 1200 block of 16th Street.  The new hub, which would include restrooms and a large shelter, is to be built with a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. At $1-a-year, the 40-year lease, with three 10-year options, called for the county to maintain the property.

According to O’Connor, Diegl said the ingress and egress on Airport Drive is better than it will be at the 16th Street site.  O’Connor said the county’s deadline for taking advantage of the $1.1 million grant expires before the Airport master plan will be complete in 2015. He added that one of the city’s concerns would be giving GoLine a long-term lease on Airport property.

Diegl could not be reached for comment.