Union Station likely to stay in city's hands
Union Station in Worcester
Although Worcester officials discussed turning over administration of Union Station to a state agency like Massachusetts Port Authority, the transportation depot will likely remain in city hands.
"I don't think there was an enthusiastic sense that this was something they were looking to do," City Manager Edward Augustus told the City Council last week of what he called a preliminary discussion with Massport officials when they were in town.
Prompting the discussion was the nearly $650,000 payment the city will make this year to cover the operating loss at Union Station, which has lease deals with multiple tenants but not enough to cover all its costs. In a similar situation in 2010, Massport had taken over control of the Worcester Regional Airport.
Union Station has been hurt by two factors the city can't control, Augustus said: Leases that are favorable to tenants that date from when the city was desperate to find tenants, and the fact that the building can't extend its footprint to bring in more revenue.
The station is an important asset for the city though, both as a transportation hub and a symbol of the city, he added; Worcester would likely want to be careful anyway to transfer such a critical facility to another entity.
Mayor Joseph Petty called the station very successful and credited it for improvements and growth in the area around it.
"We got what we got down there because of Union Station," Petty said.
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