Western Schools completes bus barn, lot

Posted: August 15, 2009

By Peter Adelsen

RUSSIAVILLE - After years of discussion, Western School Corporation now has its own bus barn and fenced bus lot. The bus barn is located on 600 West across from the football field.

The $350,000 project began in early spring and was recently finished. John Beechy of the Mawr Group was the architect who designed the project. The general contractor was Indianapolis-based Mattcon.

The size of the barn is 60 feet by 80 feet and includes three stalls for working on buses and also a wash bay, said Taffy Cooke, director of transportation for Western.

"We are now able to have a mechanic on staff, which we never had until June 1," she said. "We are doing more in-house rather than going to other various mechanic places."

The mechanic will be performing repairs and preventative maintenance on the fleet of buses.

Also prior to the new facility, the bus drivers never had a place where they could wash their bus, she said.

"It's just been very exciting to see this come into fruition," she said. "The next year and two years we'll see quite a significant amount of savings in the operating fund."

Some of the bus drivers will park on campus and others will still park them at their home, she said.

"We make the decision on where they live regarding their route," she said. "Whatever is most cost-efficient to the school."

Link: http://kokomoperspective.com/news/article_5ee0ea8a-582b-5743-b78a-7bba042964d4.html