COUNTY WORKING ON PLAN TO ERECT BUS STOP SHELTERS.

Byline: Kermit Pattison Daily News Staff Writer

Looking for a low-cost way to protect bus riders from the weather, Ventura County may begin erecting bus shelters with large posters advertising everything from milk to jeans in unincorporated areas.

"It's a way to provide users a way to get out of the weather," said Butch Britt, the county deputy director of public works for transportation. "That's primarily the place to sit while you are waiting for the bus."

County officials have proposed a pilot program in which vendors would pay to construct and maintain the bus shelters in exchange for being allowed to advertise on public streets. Bus stops in the unincorporated county now lack sheltered places to sit.

"I don't have resources to put in bus shelters around the county," said Britt. "If we can get them at little or no cost, I think that's a benefit to the residents who use public transit and may even encourage public transit."

The proposal - with will be discussed today by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors - would represent a shift in county policy which until now has not allowed such advertising on public right-of-ways, Britt said.

If approved by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, Britt said the pilot program would begin with about 10 shelters and expand if it proves successful. Although sites have yet to be determined, he said the program would focus on high-traffic unincorporated areas like El Rio and Highway 33 between Ventura and Ojai.

"A number of the cities are already doing it," said Supervisor Frank Schillo. "It would make some sense to recover the costs of operating a bus system. It's a loser in terms of money and this would produce some income and provide a place for people to sit and wait for the bus."

But Supervisor Susan Lacey warned the county must tread carefully to avoid controversy over the content of the ads. She complained that the staff had not discussed the idea with her even though many of the shelters may go into her district.

"I would want to be very careful about what's in these bus shelters," Lacey said. "I would think we should be able to hit a happy medium with it . . . If they're tasteful and could help protect people from the elements, fine."

The program would be modeled on similar ones already in place in cities like Simi Valley, Port Hueneme and Oxnard.

Under an agreement with an advertising vendor, Simi Valley installed about 30 shelters last year at bus stops and the Metrolink station, said Judy Collins, the city's deputy director of community services. She said the program allowed Simi Valley to build shelters at no cost and earn a profit of more than $30,000 per year.

"It's worked quite well," Collins said. "We've gotten a positive response from the public."

Under the county proposal, the vendor would be required to build the shelters according to county standards, maintain the sites, and repair vandalism within a few hours.

Vendors would pay the county for the right to put up posters on a high-profile tableau hawking everything from perfume to soda to toys. The county expects to take in about $10,000 a year for the pilot program of 10 shelters, said Britt.

Britt said the contract would allow the county to prohibit offensive material, such as alcohol, tobacco or sexually suggestive ads. If the county decides to pursue the concept, he said he would return to the Board of Supervisors later this year with a contract which spells out the restrictions.

"I don't want to be a censor," Britt said. "But there's some reasonable guidelines we could put together."

Some large billboards already have caused uproar. One county billboard advertising Channel Islands Harbor on the Ventura Freeway drew fire two year ago for its massive size. And recently some critics of the Ojai Valley have complained about a billboard with a picture of a large condom and another billboard depicting a woman in a body bag.

"Any time you put commercial advertising up, there's potential for controversy," said Britt. "You can restrict to a certain extent what kind of advertising you accept. But different people have different opinions. Some people don't like any type of commercial advertising on their streets."