A woman with a cane supports herself by gripping a sign post while waiting for the bus on First Ave. E. (Sherman Towers Tenant Association/P.A. city council package)

By Alison Sandstrom

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Sep 17, 2019 | 12:36 PM

Nine months after they asked the city of Prince Albert for a bench at the bus stop across from their building, it appears residents of Sherman Towers will get it.

“So many are elderly, and a lot are challenged people carrying garbage with pushcarts,” Sherman Towers tenant association secretary, Sandra Greenwood told paNOW after the meeting. “It would be very beneficial to have a place to sit down.”

After clarifying the request was for a simple bench and not a more expensive bus shelter, city councillors voiced widespread support for the idea.

“I think these people have been waiting long enough. I see them standing there in the cold,” Coun. Don Cody said during the meeting.

For seniors without cars, seating along the bus route or changes to schedules and stop locations have real impacts on their ability to get around the city.

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“When the schedule is changed that really affects how much time you have getting groceries,” Greenwood said.

Council is hoping a report on benches and shelters along the whole route will be ready in time for budget deliberations later this year so they can discuss adding more.

Meanwhile, for her part, Greenwood and the three members of the tenant association that came with her to Monday’s meeting said they were “excited” that their long-awaited bench could soon be a reality.

The new seating in front of Sherman Towers is expected to cost around $2,000. Council will have the final vote on the matter at the end of the month.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom