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Jaycees' Benches Curbed?

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By RICH SHOPES

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 24, 2008

Updated: 03/23/2008 11:33 pm

TAMPA - Although a fixture at Florida bus stops since the 1950s, the Jaycees' wood and concrete benches are falling out of favor lately.

The county's bus agency, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit, released a study last fall that recommended 782 benches placed at bus stops by the Jaycees be moved or taken away because they can obstruct wheelchairs.

Then in February, the transit agency signed an agreement to install 200 covered bus shelters at stops throughout the city and county. The deal means badly needed money for HART, but it might elbow out more of the benches.

"There sure is a lot of red tape lately," said Andrew Moos, who coordinates the bench program.

An enduring advertising vehicle for real estate agents, lawyers and small businesses, the ubiquitous benches are the primary funding source for the nonprofit leadership training group, known formally as the Junior Chamber International and United States Junior Chamber.

But lately, the Jaycees can't catch a break. The group's problems started in October after HART released a study detailing hundreds of handicapped-access issues at bus stops.

On the list were 782 Jaycee bench obstructions, 251 HART bench obstructions, 64 newspaper box obstructions, and scores of broken sidewalks and curbs that could trip up handicapped people.

Almost all of HART's 4,000 stops showed some kind of problem.

Costs Being Assessed

The agency is developing a strategy and tabulating the costs to bring its stops into compliance, although it's understood millions could be at stake in an effort spanning several years and involving the city, state and county.

The Jaycees are studying the costs, too, and worry they could reach hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Some of the problems are easily addressed, such as moving a bench a few inches to allow wheelchairs to pass, but others aren't so simple and potentially involve thousands each.

"I try not to think about it. I like to sleep at night," Moos said.

In general, the Jaycees' problems are design-related. Many benches don't need work because they were placed before the Americans with Disabilities Act passed in 1992 and are exempted from ADA regulations, although HART may want to address them anyway.

The newer benches that are out of compliance in some cases require a separate concrete pad underneath to keep the sidewalk accessible to wheelchairs.

The cost for a Jaycee bench is about $500 to $600, but adding a concrete pad could double or triple those costs depending on the location.

If the ground under the pad requires a tricky excavation or utilities must be moved, costs could be significantly higher.

Upgrades Could Take 20 Years

Moos isn't sure how the Jaycees will pay for the improvements, which he says could take 20 years to complete. In addition to tapping its own proceeds, the Jaycees are appealing to HART and local governments.

When a new sidewalk is constructed, Moos wants the agency overseeing the project to include a bench pad. There's no guarantee local governments, which are strapped for cash, will comply with that request.

Lynda Mifsud, construction and contracts manager at HART, said more is at stake than the Jaycees' bench program. HART is trying to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act while accommodating its patrons with hundreds of new covered shelters.

"I don't want to push them aside, but at the same time, we're not going to make everybody happy," she said.

Mifsud said HART only wants to modernize its bus stops, but in places where the shelters are going, some benches might be pushed out.

"We are trying to work with them," she said of the Jaycees.

Moos isn't so sure. He points to HART's contract with Outdoor Signal Advertising, a deal providing 200 new shelters over two years and 150 old ones to be retrofitted. HART expects to make $30,000 in ad revenue the first year and $60,000 the next.

He sees the deal as a money-maker for HART at the expense of the Jaycees.

"We want to work together, but we also don't want to be stabbed in the back," he said. "Cooperation is a two-way street."

Regardless of how the Jaycees cope with HART's bus stop programs, it's clear the Jaycees can no longer operate the way they did years ago before ADA rules and when costs were lower.

Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633 or rshopes@tampatrib.com.

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