The City of Tillamook’s new Town Square Transit and Visitor Center officially opened for business Friday, Oct. 31, 2008.
The new building at Second Street and Laurel Avenue next to City Hall is a joint project of the City and the Tillamook County Transportation District. Owned by the City, it now serves as the central point for all Transportation District bus routes in Tillamook County.
To construct the facility, the city and the Tillamook County Transportation District received strong support from the Northwest Area Commission on Transportation in applying for a ConnectOregon grant. The $550,000 grant was approved and the funds – along with $79,000 provided by the City and $105,000 from the Transportation District – were used to build the facility.
The 946-square-foot building houses restrooms, an indoor waiting area with vending machines, seating for about a dozen people and office space for the Tillamook Area Chambers of Commerce. Outside, there is a covered waiting area adjoining a driveway for buses that runs north from Third Street to Second Street.
The project began in 2003 as an effort by to get public restrooms and an indoor waiting area for buses in the downtown area, spearheaded by the Partners for Tillamook Progress, and ad hoc group of public officials, members of the business community and private citizens.
