COMPASS on the Move

On Monday, March 21, the Meridian Development Corporation, COMPASS, and Valley Regional Transit broke ground on a new building in downtown Meridian that will soon serve as the headquarters for COMPASS and Valley Regional Transit. Meridian Development Corporation owns the downtown lot where the building will be built and will sell the building to COMPASS and Valley Regional Transit upon completion. COMPASS will own the second floor of the two-condo building; Valley Regional Transit will own most of the first floor. The remainder of the first floor will be meeting rooms jointly owned by the two organizations.

This move is an important step forward in the life of COMPASS, and will help us better serve you and fulfill our mission more efficiently and effectively.

After 26 years of renting office space, first in Boise then in Meridian, COMPASS will own its office. Per direction from the COMPASS Board, we have been setting aside funds since 2006 specifically for this purpose, which will allow us to pay cash. Freeing up money that has been used for rent in the past, coupled with the ability to pay cash, saves public money. COMPASS will be able to weather cost increases in other areas of our budget without raising member dues, which is the portion of the COMPASS budget that comes from local tax dollars via our member agencies.

COMPASS has not raised dues since 2008 and cut dues in 2009 to help member agencies as they struggled with decreasing revenues.

This move supports the goals and vision of Communities in Motion, the regional long-range transportation plan for Ada and Canyon Counties, which COMPASS develops. The building location in downtown Meridian is consistent with the plan vision for compact growth in an already developed area. An additional bonus is that it should also help revitalize downtown Meridian. The office will be in walking distance of goods and services and is located near the current rail line, which may someday be a corridor for public transportation in the valley. The building will be built to LEED silver standards, which will contribute to a more sustainable community.

COMPASS and Valley Regional Transit already work closely on many issues. Sharing a building will increase our efficiency and strengthen communication and coordination between the agencies.

I appreciate the foresight of the COMPASS Board in planning ahead to allow us to make this move, which ultimately will allow us to serve you better.

Please plan to visit us at our new office after we move in next fall.