The SLO City Public Works Department is in the process of installing 50 new bus stop benches, 47 new signs, and a pair of new bus stop shelters.
The funding will come from a Federal Transit Administration grant–which means the feds will pick up about 80 percent of the cost, with the rest coming from the city.
According to John Webster, the city transit manager, the total cost for the project is slightly more than $100,000.
The new benches will be made from metal, which will help them resist graffiti better than wooden benches. And, in addition to the new materials, there’s also a new design, with armrests installed in the middle of the benches to prohibit homeless people–or anyone else–from lying on them.
Webster said that the old benches were in “pretty bad shape” and weren’t salvageable. Most likely, they’ll be taken to the dump.
This article appears in Feb 13-20, 2008.