Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/115375
Sarasota News Leader March 15, 2013 of the specific locations (for example, open vs. closed drainage), the amount or degree to which these improvements are required can significantly impact project costs and the timeline to complete the project." One recently constructed group of eight shelters had an average cost of $61,911 per stop, the memo continued. Those projects "faced immediate hurdles, [including] right-of-way acquisition challenges, federal and State project solicitation requirements, and other issues which increased costs and time beyond what would be expected for a project this size," the memo noted. Page 19 A BETTER ALTERNATIVE Barbetta credits Jack Gurney, a former Sarasota mayor and longtime community journalist, with the idea for the chickees at bus shelters. In an interview with the News Leader, Gurney said he came up with the idea when he was serving on the Sarasota Tree Advisory Council about three years ago. That group's discussions about trees along public rights of way evolved during one meeting into talk about the fact "that there are many, many bus stops that are no more than a stick by the road," Gurney pointed out, referring to the signs for the SCAT stops. Additionally, they included "substantial sidewalk construction that is not typical with most "Rarely did they provide adequate shelter for bus stop projects," the memo said. people," Gurney added. A man waits in a standard Sarasota County Area Transit bus shelter at Westfield Southgate Mall. Photo by Rachel Hackney