Brooklyn's Progress
June/July 2007

BY JILL SHEEHY

Cemusa Inc. may not be a familiar name to many Brooklynites, but it won’t stay that way for long if the street furniture manufacturer has anything to say about it.

If you take buses or even just take to the streets in Brooklyn, you’ve no doubt noticed the new bus shelters popping up throughout the borough. Cemusa, an international leader in outdoor advertising and street furniture, has already installed 63 of a planned 884 of the sleek structures. While they are placed at the Department of Transportation’s behest, some can already be seen in parts of Downtown Brooklyn, Bay Ridge, and Coney Island.

Cemusa, which is a subsidiary of Spanish-based Formento de Construcciones y Contradas (FCC), a century-old municipal services company, won the 20-year contract, valued at over $1 billion, in 2006. Impressed with the company’s outreach into Brooklyn and willingness to utilize local vendors and manufacturers, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce testified on Cemusa’s behalf in hearings before New York City’s Franchise & Concession Review Committee last year, shortly before they were awarded the contract.

One of the company’s philosophies is to be part of NYC, and their tagline reads “a partner in the community,” according to Andrea Acha, who works in outreach with Cemusa.

They estimate that over 100 jobs will be created throughout the life of the contract and have recently opened a manufacturing facility in Greenpoint. They use metal manufacturers in the Bronx and Queens and their benches are manufactured in Brooklyn along with the decals and signage used in the shelters.

“Cemusa has just started to get involved into the community,” promised Ms. Acha.

In addition to the shelters, of which there will be 3,300 citywide, Cemusa has agreed to pay the City almost $1.4 billion in monetary and other compensation, such as ad placement in the shelters.

And like so many companies today, Cemusa is committing itself to being environmentally friendly. Through what they call responsible design, use of materials, and commitment to maintenance and cleanliness. The company uses recyclable materials, and said that older structures will be recycled to make new ones. 

New York City is just the latest in a string of cities in the U.S. to have been graced with their unique style of street furniture. Cemusa has installed structures in Miami, San Antonio and Boston, and have been lauded for their look and utility.

The shelters, which were designed exclusively for the New York market by Grimshaw Architects, are of a simple, contemporary design and feature a steel frame and tempered glass. Cemusa has a contract that will clean the shelters twice a week to prevent disrepair and damage.
“It shows the neighborhood is moving with the times,” said Anthony Rinaldi, owner of the Pearl Room in Bay Ridge, where some shelters have been erected.

“If they keep the avenue up, the people will keep it up,” he said. “It has the same effect of putting garbage cans on every corner, and it’s why I put white linens on the tables here. The effect of keeping it up projects the image that this is a great place to be, which, of course, it is.”

The shelters are designed to enhance the look of a bus stop and be safe at the same time. Their tempered glass provides visibility and airy design relieves blind spots. The stops will be lighted and maps and information permanently installed into the structure and the name of the stop is displayed in prominent letters so that it can be read by approaching bus passengers.

There is even a pilot program underway with the Discovery Channel to outfit some of the shelters with LCD screen and Bluetooth technology. And if the bus is not your cup of tea, there will be other opportunities to see Cemusa’s handiwork for yourself. Part of their contract with the city will see them install 330 newsstands, and 20 automatic public toilets.