Two new bus shelters approved; City renews BC Transit agreement

The City of Merritt has been approved for two new bus shelters after a successful grant application was made in December 2020.

“The City will be responsible for approximately 20% of the cost of the shelter, including installation. Our share for the purchase and installation of two shelters is estimated to be $13,244. The amount covered by BC Transit is $52,976,” said Director of Finance Wayne Anderson. “The City will need to prepare the sites for installation at an estimated labour and material cost of $2,000/site, for an overall cost to the City of $17,244.”

“We are recommending paying for the costs of the shelters and installation using the Covid-19 Safe Restart funds received in 2020.The Covid-19 funds are available to offset lower revenues due to Covid-19 and assist with the delivery of services throughout the pandemic and post-pandemic,” added Anderson.

The new shelters will be installed at Voght and Blackwell, and Voght and 2^nd Avenue.

Along with the new shelters the City of Merritt has also approved the annual operating agreement with BC Transit.

“The budget for the period of April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 is $184,861,” stated Anderson.

It was said that BC Transit is open to discussions regarding route changes as more developments pop up around the City.