Agoura bus shelters nixed

Even though plans for seven new bus shelters in Agoura Hills were scaled down in a move to save money, the City Council has decided to nix the shelters altogether and spend funds instead on other local transportation programs.

The bus shelters were estimated to cost $450,000, but when council members balked, Westlake contractor L. Newman Design Group went back to the drawing board and produced a sleeker, less expensive design to shade people while waiting for the bus.

The lowest construction bid— $271,000—from Malibu Tennis Courts, Inc., was still too pricey top win the council's approval. The estimate did not include the cost of concrete bus pads to bolster the streets where the heavy busses stop. Bus pads cost $20,000 each and are paid for by state Proposition C money.

Council members approved the expenditure for the bus pads.

"It's a luxury to have that," said Councilmember Dan Kuperberg regarding the new shelters, adding that some bus stops only pick up eight to 10 riders per day. But he acknowledged that the bus stop on Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Kanan Road—where up to 40 riders use the bus each day—is busier than most.

"It's hard to rationalize that money for a site with so few people," Kuperberg said. "We need that reserve."

"We can't look our fellow citizens in the face and say we're going to spend this money when we can't afford it," Councilmember Harry Schwarz said.

Kuperberg said even though state funding would pay for the bus shelters, he'd rather the city use the money for dial-a-ride, beach bus, summer shuttles and bike safety programs.

One council member asked if upgrading some bus shelters and not others might be a compromise. City Engineer Ramiro Adeva said reducing the number of shelters would not save the city much money.

Schwarz said Sacramento is poised to "borrow" 8 percent from the Agoura Hills coffers to help the state balance its budget. He suggested the city wait another two years before making a decision about the new bus shelters.

In order to fill a potential $24 billion budget shortfall, a state legislative analyst has recommended, among other things, about $3 billion in spending cuts on transportation, a move that might affect local cities such as Agoura Hills.

Councilmember John Edelston asked if the city would risk losing the transportation funds already placed in a reserve account if they weren't spent within a certain time frame. Nathan Hamburger, assistant city manager, said the city's $800,000 reserve account for transportation projects remains safe.