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be ineligible for state transportation grants because $2.83 million in Florida Department o f Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n funding was awarded for the construction of the station at First S t r e e t a n d L e m o n Avenue. R e v e n u e f r o m t h e sale of the Downtown Core-zoned land could be used to help pay for a new station, the report states. Necessary changes to bus routes, however, would add another expense, the report adds: "The distance between the current site at 1st Street and the potential site at Ringling Boulevard/School Avenue is one mile. While this may not seem like a great distance, it impacts bus operations because many routes have zero slack time at either end of their trip … Routes would need to be restricted due to relocating the transfer station. There could be additional recurring operating expenses not currently in the SCAT budget to add addi- tional vehicles and operators for a restricted system." Yet another expense might be the need to replace the parking area lost if the station were built on Ringling Boulevard. The pro- posed site contains 103 surface spaces. However, if the station were moved east, its new home would be close to adjacent county services, such as those provided by the Health Department, which would be across the street. Commissioner Nora Patterson was initially opposed to building the transfer station on First Street. "At the time, I was part of a fairly small and not terribly organized group that felt it shouldn't be where it is," Patterson told the News Leader. But she is concerned about the cost of relo- cating the facility. "This is one [plan] I'd like to support, but I don't know if there will be the money," Patterson said, adding that the facility seems to be functioning all right where it is. In 2002, the downtown station cost $3.17 mil- lion, including the purchase of the property from the city. Patterson's budgetary focus is on upgrading the county's emergency services commu- nications system, necessary expansions at the county Tax Collector's and Supervisor of Elections offices, a relocation of Sheriff's Office facilities that already is under dis- cussion and paying for new services at the Benderson Park rowing venue off University Parkway, she pointed out. An extension of the Downtown Sarasota Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) after it expires in 2016 would mean a certain amount of county tax revenue would have to continue to flow into the City of Sarasota, she also noted, making a bus station relocation even more of a financial difficulty. "The idea of going back now and spending $3 million or so to put the station somewhere else and several million to enlarge parking, I guess my reaction is that is probably not at the top of the list of things," Patterson said. This is one I'd like to support, but I don't know if there will be the money. Nora Patterson Commissioner Sarasota County Sarasota News Leader February 7, 2014 Page 38