Latest local news, weather and high school sports for Tri-State area

MACOMB, ILL. -- The GO WEST Bus Service has been serving Macomb and the Western Illinois University campus for over a decade.

But during the last 12 years, the service hasn't operated out of one central location.

Now renovation work is about to begin on an old factory and when that's completed, it will allow GO WEST to have a new home.

Jude Kiah has been the director of the Go West bus service since it began back in 1999.  And since that time, the bus service has operated out of three locations across Macomb.

But with the help of federal and state leaders, the GO WEST bus service is about to have a new home for their dispatching, maintenance and storage.

"Its a tremendous change for us.  We've been operating out of a facility for many years that was multiple sizes too small for us.  60 vehicles being operated and maintained out of a bay and a half.  And this is seven bays for less then half of those vehicles," said Kiah.

At first, the city thought they would have to convert the old porcelain products factory into the GO WEST facility in three phases.  But recently the city found out they're getting the entire 12 million dollars in one lump sum.

"The whole idea idea is that the feds realized that the system is going gangbusters here.  It's doing exactly the grant funding is designed to be bringing that transit component to a rural area.  It's going well and this will fit right into their overall need," said Macomb mayor Mike Inman.

So instead of being in three places to serve their one point eight million riders they averaged last year, the state of the art facility will be ready to serve Macomb and McDonough County for years to come.