New Bethlehem Bus Shelter Ready For Use
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It took a village, and then some, to get a new bus shelter on Bethlehem’s Chapel Road ready to go for residents’ use, and village officials are applauding the teamwork that went into building a new, safe place for both adults and children to wait for the bus.
That spot on Chapel Road was in need of a new bus shelter, Mayor Matthew Saseen said, after the previous shelter had been hit twice by semi trucks.
“On top of that, it had some structural integrity that was questionable,” Saseen said. “It was kind of a matter of time until we actually razed it and did something new. Once it got hit for the final time, council decided to raze it.
“Once it was razed and we had ground to work with, we then had to basically figure out what we were going to do from there,” he added.
Village council and staff bounced around plans and First Ward Councilman Bob Henry took the reins on the project. As luck would have it, he had a conversation at a wedding with OVRTA Executive Director Lisa Weishar, who said her organization had a bus shelter ready to donate.
Weishar said it was an easy decision to donate the shelter, as OVRTA wants its riders to be as safe as possible while waiting.
“It’s really important,” she said. “And Ohio County Schools students also use this shelter, so it’s important for children to have a safe place to stand as well.”
That’s when Saseen said the teamwork really kicked in. He lauded Bethlehem Village street crew members who put in about 40 man-hours in demolishing the old shelter, handling the earthwork, pouring in the new concrete pad and installing concrete piers in front so the shelter wouldn’t get hit again. He also thanked ABL Concrete in Shadyside for its help with the concrete. OVRTA staff installed the shelter, and Bethlehem Village Recorder Mike Maloney served as the village’s boots on the ground in seeing the project to its finish.
“We’re just so thankful for everyone who was involved,” Saseen said.