Lisle Residents Have Mixed Reactions to New Bus Terminal for Districts 58, 68 and 99

A proposed bus terminal that would serve School Districts 58, 68 and 99 got a mixed reaction from Lisle residents Wednesday. 

“I can just see the stream of yellow buses,” said  owner and operator Tim Kostecki at Wednesday’s Village of Lisle planning and zoning commission meeting.

The proposed bus terminal would be located at 4951 Indiana Ave., dispatching at roughly the same time Kostecki expects 30 to 40 morning drop-offs at his nearby daycare center.

Villa Park-based Westway Coach. Inc. applied for a special use permit to take advantage of the vacant industrial parking lot (formerly Tellabs). A half-dozen speakers and commission members expressed some support, but also concern of the project’s impact.

Ultimately the board decided petitioners should confer with village staff and revisit the issue at next month’s regular meeting.

The proposed depot boasts a fleet of 69 buses. Westway’s agreement with Downers Grove school districts 58 and 99, and Woodridge School District 68, begins the first of July.

The three districts voted to consolidate bus services through one company in February. The change will save District 68 $200,000 a year, according to Kevin Wegner, assistant superintendent of business for District 68.

Benish said the districts have committed to three years with the company, with an option for a two-year extension.

While Lisle wasn’t the intended location for the terminal, Downers Grove and Woodridge weren’t, either. Contracts provided by Distrcit 68 indicate the company was looking to find a location in Lemont or Bolingbrook, within five miles of the nearest school boundary. (District 68 and 99 boundaries currently extend into the southeast edge of Lisle.)

The depot the district uses now is owned by First Student, the company District 68 is currently contracted with for bus service.

Westway will operate a portion of its fleet out of its Villa Park location, in addition to the Lisle terminal. Maintenance on Lisle buses will be performed at an alternative location.

The property’s manager, Mike Ciurek, said he believes it’s an "ideal use" for the property, which he’s been unable to lease in the last few years.

Westway representatives said they were looking to hire local drivers, dispatchers and office staff. The company held an open house at the site Wednesday afternoon to fill approximately 80 full-time positions.

Potential traffic impacts

The overwhelming concern of most hearing speakers was increased traffic on the surrounding streets.

According to Benish, buses operate approximately 176 days each year. He said employees are expected to arrive to the site between 5:30 and 7 a.m. each day, with a morning return around 9 a.m. Half of the buses would travel from Yender to Ogden and head east. The other half would take Burlington to Yackley, and head south.

Afternoon departures will take place between 1 and 2:30 p.m. and are expected to return to the area by 4:30 p.m. All buses would return to the lot by driving south on Indiana Avenue.  A select number of buses will be used on evenings and weekends for charter trips (e.g. athletic events and field trips).

Benish said buses would leave at staggered times throughout those periods.

Concerns raised by speakers and board members included:

• Eastbound traffic toward Yackley clogging Burlington Avenue; buses being able to make a successful right turn at the intersection of Burlington and Yackley avenues
• A similar effect in afternoon hours when parents are dropping off young athletes at Walker Athletics
• Traffic back-up on Ogden Avenue as buses congregate attempting to make left turns onto Indiana Avenue

Environmental concerns

One business owner asked that restrictions be placed on wintertime idling to keep emissions at a minimum. Benish said that newer models only require five to ten minutes of idling and that buses are equipped with GPS devices that also track idle times.

Westway representatives took a few moments to explain the biodiesel fuels they utilize, a mix of B11 and B20 fuels.  According to a bid letter addressed to the school districts, more than 95 percent of Westway Coach’s buses run on biodiesel fuel.

During the meeting Benish, said they wouldn’t be using models manufactured earlier than 2007. (The fleet list that Westway submitted to District 68 notes around two dozen models manufactured from 2002-2004, or before.) 

Resident MaryLynn Zajdel read a statement on behalf of  owner Brian McClure, which questioned a bus facility’s place in industrial zoning. Bus facilities are not currently listed under industrial uses; though staff memos indicate they feel the use relates closely to “freight terminal facilities.”

Other reactions to the project were mixed. Commission member Brad Hettich asked petitioners to justify the facility’s  convenience to the community, while nearby building owners would like more information on the potential impact to their property values. Economic development commission member Richard Brink, who spoke during public hearing, commended the company's intent to hire locally.

Commission members are looking for a more extensive traffic study—and possibly alternative routes for buses to use. Property manager Ciurek said he thinks neighbors’ concerns can be addressed as they continue work with Lisle village staff.