By
The Associated Press
TUCSON- Opposition is growing against a terminal site for the Mount Lemmon shuttle bus.
Homeowners who don't want a terminal in their residential area just south of the Summerhaven business district say the shuttle is badly needed, but they just want the terminal somewhere else.
County Supervisor Ray Carroll was trying to lighten the traffic load on the mountain when he proposed the shuttle in 1997.
''I realized that as the growth continues here, one of the hardest things we'll have to do is to preserve the integrity of Mount Lemmon, and you don't do that with autos,'' he said. ''I know that the Forest Service is not interested in creating more parking lots on Mount Lemmon.''
The money for two terminals is in the bank, thanks to a $1.5 million bond issue that voters approved in 1997. The second terminal would adjoin the James Lee Kirk-Bear Canyon Library at Bear Canyon Road and the Catalina Highway. It has no public opposition.
The project has had unanimous support from the Board of Supervisors, but several issues must be resolved.
Most center on growing public opposition to the 1.2 acres chosen for the mountain terminal at Carter Canyon Road and Sabino Parkway. Numerous neighbors oppose the Summerhaven terminal on the grounds that it would be a commercial intrusion, drawing more people, noise and traffic to a residential area.
Neighbors have gathered 150 signatures asking the county to choose a different terminal site.
But the board of the Mount Lemmon Homeowners Association has voted 11-1 to endorse the site. President Larry Waldron is conducting his a survey of residents.
Also, the county has no money to operate the buses. County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said he is optimistic about getting federal money for most of the annual $400,000 operating cost.
But the county consultant said one major source that Huckelberry is counting on would supply only $10,000 to $30,000 annually.
The plan is to charge roughly $2 for a shuttle ride. That, like most transit fares, would be far less than needed to cover the operating tab.
The county could approve construction contracts this fall, and hopes to get the buses rolling in two years.
