Ribbon cut on transit center renovations

A crowd gathered on May 6, to celebrate the completion of renovations to the newly renamed Douglas W. Pilant transit center in downtown Tillamook.

Nearly $300,000 went into updating the facility’s interior, restrooms and electrical infrastructure, and to adding workspace for a dispatcher.

Funding for the work came from federal transportation funding directed through the Oregon Department of Transportation, as well as a $70,000 grant from the Tillamook Coast Visitors’ Association.

For now, the transit center will only be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, but once more dispatchers are hired it will be open on a more regular basis, according to Tillamook Transportation District General Manager Brian Vitulli.

The transit center, immediately adjacent to Tillamook city hall, has been closed since late 2023, after repeated incidences of drug use in the facility’s restrooms. Vitulli said that he believes the addition of a staff member in the space will prevent a recurrence of those issues.

“With eyes on the facility, we hope that it will be appreciated more and respectfully used,” Vitulli said at the ceremony.