DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — What started as a simple idea is growing even larger at a Decatur bus stop. James Bond is working to spread positivity and connect the community.
The stop is near the Dairy Queen on Maryland Street between Airport Plaza Drive and Mt. Zion Road.
Bond said he wanted to bring more light and color to a boring bus stop. He hopes this will help make people’s days a little brighter.
He has worked on community projects in the Decatur area since 2011. It all started when he saw someone sitting, waiting for the bus in the rain. He wanted to change that with three things, a shelter, a light and an umbrella pole.
After nearly a month, that idea was brought to life. He worked with Decatur’s transit administrator Lacie Elzy to make it happen.
He brought four Adirondack chairs from his home he was no longer using. Other community leaders donated flowers and concrete pots. Some even built sturdy hooks for hanging baskets on the light post.
Each day, Bond is at the stop picking up trash and watering the flowers. Now, he has connected with people he never thought he would.
“The more people are around you, the more comfortable they get. The more personal things they talk about,” he said.
So many people know him, that they wave and honk as they drive by.
He believes this is one of the bigger bus stops in the Decatur area, which makes it easier for cookouts. Weather permitting, he grills hot dogs and hands out bottled water each Saturday.
He hopes this project will encourage everyone to spread good in the world and think about others.
“It has been a fun thing. I love this community. They are absolutely fantastic,” he said.
Bond doesn’t plan to bring the colorful chairs and plants to other bus stops, but he is more than happy to help other people get it started.
Next, he wants to start a bike drive and install a better bus shelter for the winter months.