Fountain Valley to seek contractor to brush up bus shelters

Citing an effort to enhance the experience of travelers, Fountain Valley will seek a contractor to refurbish or replace and maintain its bus stops.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously authorized city officials to issue a request for proposals for specific amenities, revenue sharing and services, including designs to deter homeless people.

Fountain Valley has 142 Orange County Transportation Authority stops.

Clear Channel Outdoor, an advertising company, installed the bus shelters in 1996 and maintains them with twice-weekly trash pickup, light cleaning and graffiti removal. It also uses the shelters’ two large advertising panels that function like street-level billboards.

Clear Channel splits advertising revenue with the city, which received about $127,000 last year. The revenue increases by 2% to 3% each year.

The city’s contract with Clear Channel has been on six-month terms since 2011, according to Fatana Temory, a management aide with the city Public Works Department. Clear Channel has said that makes long-term capital investment difficult.

City officials have said they weren’t opposed to renewing the contract with Clear Channel but also wanted to examine all options.

Temory said the selected contractor would be prohibited from advertising liquor, tobacco or tobacco-related products and that the city would have the ultimate say.

Mayor Pro Tem Cheryl Brothers said she wants vendors to provide designs that “don’t lend themselves to a homeless shelter.”

“I know it gets tricky how you address this situation,” she said. “I know a lot of people will opt to stand up next to shelter rather than sit down with a homeless person, their dog and six shopping carts full of stuff.”

According to a staff report, the chosen vendor will receive a 10-year contract with rights to construct, install and maintain new bus shelters and benches and provide advertising.

The city’s percentage of revenue will hinge on the gross advertising revenue from the shelters and benches.

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