Scott VanHosen – Automative Mechanic I Bethlehem Central Schools, New York
Total school buses in fleet: 104 Total other district vehicles: 20 Total staff in the bus garage/shop: 7
Scott VanHosen retired at the end of the last school year after
celebrating his 30th year at Bethlehem Central School District. He was a mechanic starting a family when he joined the trans- portation department. His job was completing pre-inspections and services, specificity defects for the New York Department of Transportation. John Hazelton, assistant transportation supervisor, said in his nomination that Bethlehem has scored 100 percent on the state DOT school bus inspection rating for five years straight. “Scott’s mechanical acumen coupled with his knowledge of the ever-expanding district and the many people we serve has made
him instrumental to not only the department but the overall dis- trict,” Hazelton wrote. “With the addition of EV buses to the fleet and telematics added to the buses in the past few years, Scott has stayed ahead of the curve with this ever-changing technology.” VanHosen said the district has seven electric school buses with another three on the way. He noted that while there is still regular maintenance necessary, there are no more oil changes. He said there is manufacturer electrical maintenance required, which district mechanics are not currently eligible for. Hazelton noted that VanHosen is always willing to go above and
beyond his job duties. He’s someone who others can depend on, willing to come in early to cover a shift, stay late until the last bus returns or even cover a route when the district is short drivers. “Outside of work, Scott is always willing to help friends, neighbors and coworkers who might need assistance with their personal vehicles, lawn/farm equipment or even help put a roof on their garage,” Hazelton wrote. “Scott is retiring at the end of this school year after a storied career at Bethlehem Central and we will be hard pressed to fill his shoes.”
Ryan Waters – Head Mechanic Lake Shore Central Schools, New York
Lake Shore Central Schools cur-
rently has two electric school buses and is about to receive its first Type A electric. Head mechanic Ryan Waters is working with his shop supervisor on the charging infrastructure and deployment of another 20 ESBs com- ing to Lake Shore via an EPA Clean School Bus Program grant, with de-
livery taking place in about a year. Transportation Supervisor Perry Oddi wrote in his nomination that Waters is a pivotal team member as the district transitions to ESBs. Waters joined the district as a school bus mechanic in 2010.
He was working as a diesel mechanic at a local dealer and saw an opportunity to obtain state retirement. He’s a graduate of Erie Community College in automotive technology and has a consid- erable amount of technical expertise. He also has work experience from West Herr Dodge, Penn Detroit Diesel Allison, Florida Detroit Diesel-Allison, and Clarence Central School Transportation. “Ryan’s main focus is always passenger safety,” Oddi wrote. “His leadership in the shop achieved a 100 percent New York State DOT inspection pass rate last fiscal. He is always willing to learn about new equipment, he continues his education through
Total school buses in fleet: 50 Total other district vehicles: 21 Total staff in the bus garage/shop: 8
OEM and dealership training courses.” Waters said his favorite part of the job is the different applica- tions he gets to work with, aside from school buses. His day starts at 5:30 a.m., when he reviews the school buses in the shop that need to be fixed before the morning runs. He then reviews the maintenance program to determine what vehicles need service. “While I do my work, I monitor the two way radio to see if any
drivers are having a problem while out on the road,” he added. “Drivers get back about 9 a.m. and I again check to see if they had any write ups from their morning run and repair them before the afternoon run.” Within in the last five years, the facility received four, 70,000 pound in-ground lifts, all new drainage to control water that melts off the buses and new blacktop in the parking lots. Oddi added that Waters has a good rapport with all staff. “He
takes the time to explain how and why things work to staff and students,” he added. “Ryan maintains a good work life balance; he has a young family and coaches youth football.” Additionally, Oddi said Waters teaches career and technical
interns four days a week. “His expertise in computer diagnostics assisted in our fleet wide implementation of GPS telematics and vehicle mounted tables with navigation,” Oddi concluded. ●
46 School Transportation News • AUGUST 2024
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