Celebrating the new transit shelters are, front row left to right, BUSU's new Student Life and Communications Director Curtis Gadula; Jad Nasser, BUSU VP Student Services; former BUSU president Kyle Rose; and BUSU VP External Affairs Julia Wood. Back row left to right: Brock VP Administration Brian Hutchings; BUSU President Patrick Foster; Faisal Hejazi, BUSU VP Finance and Administration; John Dick, Brock Grounds Manager; Domenic Maniccia, Brock Director, Custodial and Grounds Services; and Tom Saint-Ivany, Brock Associate VP, Facilities Management. Brock students waiting to catch a bus in front of Schmon Tower will no longer have to worry about rain, snow — or dead cellphone batteries.
Three new bus shelters along Isaac Brock Blvd. East are now open and are being well-used by students.
Besides offering protection from the elements, the shelters are equipped with interior LED lights and USB outlets for charging cellphones, with all power coming from solar panels on the shelter roof.
The $82,000 cost of the shelters was funded through the Brock University Students’ Union (BUSU) green levy, which students pay into to support green initiatives. The University provided the concrete bases the shelters sit on, helped acquire the necessary building permits and will maintain the structures moving forward.
“We were able to lobby our council and board of directors to use those funds that are accumulated every year for this project,” said Kyle Rose, last year’s BUSU president who led the charge for the shelters. “We also had a lot of help from the University. If it wasn’t for the rapport we had and continue to have moving into the new (BUSU) executive, a project like this wouldn’t be possible.”
Domenic Maniccia, Director of Custodial and Grounds Services, praised the joint effort.
“There are so many competing projects that need dollars, so when someone steps to the plate and says ‘We’re willing to provide shelters, can you do something for us?’ it was great,” said Maniccia.
The shelters also have advertising panels, which will help BUSU recoup some of the construction costs.
