Wave transit's $4.5 million offices will meet LEED gold standards

Wave Transit’s new $4.5 million station will be the new home of Wave’s administrative offices and Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority personnel and will be constructed to meet LEED gold standards.

The new station will be at 505 Cando St. in Wilmington. The location is close to Wave Transit’s main center of service behind Target, said Albert Eby, Wave Transit’s executive director.

Construction for the station is expected to last nine months, Eby said. It will be open at the end of 2010. The project has been in the works for more than four years, according to Wave officials.

The public transportation authority will announce a contract for the construction of the new station Thursday at 1 p.m., according to a press release.

Funding for the $4.5 million station, is being provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the City of Wilmington and New Hanover County.

In addition to administrative offices for authority personnel, the facility will provide a transfer station for Wave Transit’s passengers.

“[It is] one of the more enviromental projects in Wilmington. It is something we are proud of,” Eby said.

The new station also will highlight a public art project on the premises. A local artist will be awarded a contract at the groundbreaking ceremony to build a sculpture that will be featured at the station, according to the release.

“Although the process of constructing this important public transportation link has taken longer than we anticipated, we are confident that the end result will be an environmentally friendly facility that will take advantage low construction costs and serve as an asset to our passengers and the community,” said Authority Chairman Don Betz, in a press release.