Culver Community School Superintendent Karen Shuman presented the school board members Monday night with more of the plans for the construction of a proposed transportation building.
The 80X48 building would include two offices for the transportation staff, a conference room, restrooms for bus drivers and staff, and a bus garage with bays for maintenance.
Shuman said the building will be able to house the longer buses securely inside the building while maintenance is being performed which is not available now.
Some changes to the design will be made to some of the layouts for the convenience of staff members, plus the addition of electric outlets in order to plug in diesel-fueled buses.
Members of the board asked about additional exterior lighting for safety which will be discussed with contractors from R. Yoder Construction.
The project will be paid for with bond money at an estimated cost of $400,000.
Shuman hopes that the project will get started soon.
“Once we say yes to this plan, it goes to the State,” explained Shuman. “The State approves the plan and then they will come and meet with us and they hope to meet with us some time next week to do all of that electrical discussion and all of the final details of the drawings. The State asked for an overlay of those plans. Then we’ll hopefully break ground mid-February if they can.”
In coordination with the transportation building project, in an agreement with Co-Alliance, a new above-ground diesel tank will be installed. It will be at a cost of 25 cents a gallon in an additional fuel cost to pay for the project over the course of five years. It is an estimated $40,000 cost.
An old, buried tank will be removed. Shuman noted that the school corporation will be saving money by removing the underground tank. By getting rid of the underground tank, the corporation gets rid of tank inspection and insurance costs.
