Medford Officials Want MBTA Garage Removed

Medford officials told Gov. Deval Patrick Wednesday they would like to see the MBTA bus garage on Salem Street removed for the benefit of the neighborhood.

During his visit of Medford's MBTA facilities, Patrick took a look at the facility located next to the plaza where the new Stop & Shop is located.

The bus garage is a location Medford Rep. Paul Donato and Mayor Michael McGlynn would like to see moved, potentially to Wellington Station, and re-developed.

Donato said the garage is the "most-antiquated" as well as the smallest such facility in the MBTA system.

McGlynn called the parcel "prime" for mixed-use residential or commercial purposes.

Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Richard Davey said the cost of such a project to move to Wellington, where the space for the buses already exists, would be about $100 million.

"Eventually, for both the neighborhood and the T, it would be the best for us to move out of here," Davey said.

Donato said the buses begin running at the facility at 4 a.m. each day, causing noise problems for the Haines Square neighborhood as well as environmental and health concerns.

"I used to eat those fumes every morning," said McGlynn, who once lived on nearby Emerald Street.

"This is an opportunity in this community to expand for retail, commercial and residential," Donato said.

Donato said he views the project as being a potential part of a transportation bond issue.

Watch more from the exchange Wednesday between McGlynn, Donato, Patrick and Davey in the video above.