Sports-complex grant restored to local fund; LTAC weighs $45,000 bus wrap and short-term Waterfront Connector service

LTAC members were briefed that the city received confirmation a previously reserved grant for the sports complex has been released and returned to the local fund, increasing available money for LTAC-related spending.

City staff reported that the released grant totals $500,000 and that, as a result, the balance available to allocate rose from about $286,000 to about $786,000. Staff said the sports-complex grant had originally been budgeted across multiple funds and that the state’s Hospital Benefit Zone (HBZ) fund will pay the project’s capital expenses; the released amount is now available for distribution according to the original budget plan.

Committee members then discussed transportation options for the summer. Pierce Transit (referred to in the briefing) will operate a shorter “Waterfront Connector” bus that will loop at Anthony’s, serve Uptown and nearby stops, and run three days a week (Thursday, Saturday and Sunday). Staff said the shorter route will not go north of Anthony’s and estimated the loop at roughly 30 minutes.

Two optional costs were discussed: a $45,000 one-time fee to have the short bus wrapped with custom branding and a $3,002.90 option described as a fare-buydown that would reduce or subsidy fares for riders. Under the default operating arrangement the service would run at regular bus fares (staff said those fares would be $2 per ride under the operator’s standard fare settings).

Committee members expressed concern that the service timeline is short and that promotion and marketing would be compressed if the LTAC pays to wrap the bus for a limited run; several members recommended saving discretionary funds for next year’s full trolley return and larger promotion campaign. Staff noted the short decision window: the operator needed a funding commitment by March 17 for the wrap option.

Members discussed alternatives such as contracting a local shuttle for farmers-market days and for specific events (Summer Sounds, maritime festival), which staff said could be less expensive and more flexible. Staff also said the operator normally operates multiple identical vehicles and sometimes duplicates wraps to create back-ups, but a fully wrapped vehicle would cost about $45,000.

Why it matters: The released sports-complex grant increases LTAC-adjacent monies available to the city and opens immediate options for short-term transportation projects that affect visitor experience and event accessibility. Committee members must weigh one-time promotional expenses against longer-term marketing and service consistency.

What’s next: Staff said they will follow up with operator details and circulate route maps and ridership data; LTAC will consider funding decisions at a future meeting. Members requested historic ridership figures and clarified that the $45,000 wrap and $3,002.90 fare buy-down were optional and required a prompt decision from LTAC or partner organizations.