Preliminary designs for a new bus shelter in Ivanhoe Estates were presented to the public.
The Bus Shelter - Community Hub project started with CU Early and the District's focus on attendance. During home visits, CU Early staff began asking families why their children were missing school. The most common reason was weather. Parents will often keep their kids home when it's raining hard or snowing because there isn't a shelter for them to wait for the bus.
The Bus Shelter Project will create a new bus stop in Ivanhoe Estates for over 100 Urbana School District students. Beyond shelter, the bus stop will double as a multifunctional community hub that supports social connection, informal learning, and communication.
Families and students were asked to help design the bus shelter at a recent Urbana Neighborhood Night. They submitted drawings and written words to describe what they would like to see as part of this project.
Fundraising
While construction on the shelter won't start until spring, the project is actively raising funds to make the bus shelter a reality. So far, the project has raised $29,000 with a goal of $50,000.
- A grant from the University of Illinois's Building Beyond the Barriers program has provided roughly half of the funding for the shelter.
- In addition, Urbana School District has pledged $5,000 toward the project.
Next Steps:
- Additional design feedback from Ivanhoe families
- Additional fundraising and grant writing
Once complete, the school district would be responsible for maintaining the structure, but we are working on an agreement with Ivanhoe Estates where they would maintain the area around it (mowing, snow removal, etc)
