Council gives staff direction on bus shelter options, presses ICTC and staff on shade and maintenance

City staff sought direction from the council on the visual design, maintenance and procurement approach for bus shelters, framing the conversation around a multi-jurisdictional ICTC (Imperial County Transportation Commission) project that will replace or add shelters at several city stops.

Staff described three options: Option 1 (no change/no cost and continued ICTC maintenance); Option 2 (brand existing shelters with a city logo/plates, estimated low cost around $15,000); and Option 3 (replace shelters with a custom family of shelters, estimated material cost roughly $22,000 per shelter and a systemwide budget of several hundred thousand dollars if selected). Staff said ICTC plans to install seven new or replacement shelters under its project and that timing could allow the city to influence specification if staff moves quickly.

Councilmembers prioritized shade and safety, raised multiple locations where sidewalk width or slope constrain shelter size (Buckland Park, Aurora Drive), and reported solar panels on existing shelters were not working in many locations. Staff (Abraham) said panels and plexiglass are often vandalized and that the city can audit shelters and work with ICTC to address solar-panel and lighting maintenance. Council debated branding, color and bench choices and asked staff to confirm whether ICTC would cover maintenance and what additional city costs a custom option would trigger.

Council gave direction to staff to pursue a modified custom approach (the mayor and multiple members signaled preference for a more distinct modern/minimalistic style while keeping shade and maintenance needs central) and asked staff to return with catalog options and maintenance/ICTC cost implications at the next meeting in early December.