Group works to clean up bus stop benches in Lee County

Bus stop benches that the community worked so hard to get for your children in Lee County are being ignored.

Grass is growing over them and no maintenance is being done, but one group is working to fix it.

“Damaged tables, the paint’s peeling. We’ve been collecting the tables and trying to get them back out there,” said Karen Ambrose with Shield4Kids.

Ambrose has a pile of benches in her backyard waiting for some TLC. With kids out of school since March, the benches that parents worked so hard to get last year have been neglected.

“Some of the tables you can hardly even see, the grass is so overgrown and a lot of garbage,” Ambrose said.

People involved with Ambrose’s Shield4Kids organization are doing their best clean up bus stops in Lehigh Acres, but with 150 benches there, they could use some help.

“If you’re out doing yard work and you’re weed-whacking your own property, hey, step out and help us out and give us a hand,” Ambrose suggested.

High weeds are taking over benches at Cape Coral bus stops too, and even though fewer kids are expected to ride the buses to school in a couple of weeks, Ambrose said, “It doesn’t matter the amount of kids that are going to be there, there’s still going to be children outside at a bus stop and they’re going to need some help to stay safe. At least with a table there, it will be easier for people to see them.”

Benches at bus stops across the county were installed by the community in memory of two girls who were killed while walking to or waiting for their school bus.

The School District of Lee County said it doesn’t know how many kids will be riding the bus this school year, but with more than 50% of students opting into distance learning, the district anticipates half of the riders compared to last year.