Graham Construction & Management Inc., of Spokane, has begun work on a $4.1 million project for the Grant Transit Authority, in Moses Lake, Wash.

The work involves constructing a 4,500-square-foot administration building, a 10,000-square-foot maintenance building, and a 10,000-square-foot covered parking area for the public entity's transportation fleet, says Darryl Piercy, who owns Plan It Consulting, an Ellensburg, Wash., concern that's serving as project manager for Grant Transit. The 10-acre construction site is located at 3992 W. Westover Blvd., in Moses Lake, which is about 100 miles southwest of Spokane.

The work began in mid-July, and is scheduled for completion by March of next year, Piercy says.

Waterleaf Architecture, Interiors & Planning, of Portland, designed the project.

Grant Transit has been leasing space for its administrative offices at 90 Alder Street, in Ephrata, about 23 miles northwest of Moses Lake. Its transportation operation, based in Moses Lake, includes a fleet of 28 buses and vans.

Grant Transit contracts with the regional nonprofit organization People for People to provide daily bus service "all over Grant County," with connecting service to neighboring Adams County, says Brandy Heston, the agency's transit operations supervisor in Ephrata. People for People provides a fixed route bus service for the public, as well as curb-to-curb service for persons with certified disabilities, Heston says. The organization also provides service in the areas surrounding Yakima, Ellensburg, Sunnyside, and Toppenish, Wash.

She says all the transit authority's administrative staff will move from the office in Ephrata to the new facility in Moses Lake, but Grant Transit plans to keep that leased space "to maintain a presence in Ephrata," Heston says. It's not yet clear whether Grant Transit plans to hire more staff for that office, she says.

The construction project is funded by just over $4 million in federal funds, plus $725,000 in Grant County capital improvement funds and $222,000 from the Washington state Department of Transportation, Piercy says.