Sponsors sought for county bus shelters

With all money for capital projects seized by the state for the next five years, the Santa Cruz County Metropolitan Trabsut District may look for sponsorships to erect bus shelters in San Lorenzo Valley, according to district General Manager Les White.
The district board of directors is looking at an adopt-a-shelter program to pay for new shelters — $7,500 each — and install them, which, depending on the location and the type of retaining wall and drainage systems that need to be built, can cost up to $60,000.
“We’re a small enough community where that would be a pretty wonderful thing — for businesses to partner with Metro,” said Margaret Gallagher, district counsel.
The district has one covered shelter in storage and does not have money available to pay for installation of covered shelters at locations like downtown Boulder Creek and Highlands Park in Ben Lomond, White said.
However, the district did construct a new shelter in the Felton Fair shopping center early this year.
As part of a potential adopt-a-shelter plan, the district is concerned that unsavory organizations, for example the Ku Klux Klan, could sponsor a stop and have their name carved or engraved into the bench.
“The question is how you do it (financially) — and how you do it without getting into trouble,” White said.
Gallagher is looking to Caltrans’ “Adopt-A-Highway” program as an example. Adopt-A-Highway may soon exclude groups that commit violent crimes — in which case Metro would likely be able to follow suit with the adopt-a-shelter program.
“Metro is not only government, but we’re a business owner,” Gallagher said. “The courts take that into consideration.”
There is a town hall meeting to discuss the financial plight of transportation in the county with Rep. Bill Monning at 7 p.m. July 30 at the Louden Nelson Center in Santa Cruz.