W
hen it comes to appropriating dollars for school facilities, transportation seldom tops the list. After all, it can be hard to compete with demands for new instruc-
tional or athletic facilities. At the same time, factors ranging from aging facilities to fleet growth can make transportation upgrades an imperative. For some school districts, an effective solution has been to renovate existing facilities or rebuild existing property rather than invest in entirely new construction sites. Similarly, targeted equipment acquisitions can help modernize operations. At Newfield Central School District in New York, an
upgrade to the bus facility addressed several issues related largely to aging, said retiring superintendent Eric Hartz, adding that he was happy to see the improve- ments get under way while still on his watch. “This was much-needed as the bus garage is 50
years old and very minimal work had been done,” he said. “It gets our people in a new working environment that’s up to date with ADA requirements and technology.” A major focus of the project involves reconstruction of steel columns and related improvements. The work also includes completely renovating the office and classroom area of the bus garage with new walls, ceilings, lights, floors and updated communication systems. “This area will be able to run off of a generator that
will make it an emergency center, if ever needed,” Hartz added. “There will be all-new ADA bathrooms and a sitting room with Wi-Fi, computers and a refrigerator for transportation staff.” In addition, the mechanics are getting a bathroom
separate from the bus drivers, and a new office area is included. The entire facility will feature all-new entrance doors, siding, lighting and HVAC. This year’s upgrade follows a total electric overhaul undertaken last year to accommodate up to 16 electric school buses. While achieving badly needed modernization, the
project has offered solid advantages from a fiscal view- point. “We’re saving over half the cost of a tear-down and
rebuild,” Hartz noted. “The other piece for us is that our indoor bus storage is attached to the offices and main- tenance portion of the garage, so we are able to get our state aid on the entire project.” Under current guidelines, state funding would not
have been available if the facility had been torn down and replaced with a building providing indoor storage for buses, and those costs would have been out of pocket for the district. Upgraded transportation facilities are also becoming a reality for Nevada’s Washoe County School District, the
30 School Transportation News • AUGUST 2025
location of the National School Bus Inspection Training at last month’s STN EXPO West. Following completion of a 2020 master plan, and the planning and design efforts that followed, work is now in progress to meet needs for improved parking for staff and buses as well as better training and workspace. The project also addresses a number of environmental, safety and security issues. Work includes construction of a building on an
elevated portion of the existing site that combines main- tenance shops, office space and training areas. A new bus parking area will feature enhanced security, and new fuel tanks are also being installed. “This will give us a modernized facility for our staff
that’s out of the flood plain,” noted Scott Lee, Washoe’s director of transportation. The previous facility was built in 1974 and since that time has been vulnerable to flood- ing. At the same time, available space has not kept pace with growth over the decades. While bringing solutions to those problems, im-
provements include expansion to eight bays for buses and three bays for white fleet vehicles, compared to the current five for buses and a single bay for the white fleet. “This should eliminate the need for technicians to work outside when all of the bays are filled,” Lee said. The upgrades are being undertaken in a phased ap-
proach to allow operations to continue while the work progresses. The project also includes prep for accommo- dating electric buses. This includes putting in conduit for future expansion, but without including chargers at this point. Lee explained that with the ongoing devel- opment of electric school bus technology, it seemd best to defer that additional step considering expected advancements such as increases in battery range. At the same time, moving ahead with conduit should make such additions easier in the future. “I don’t want to do it twice,” Lee explained. “I want to make sure we make the right move but don’t want to dig up the ground again, so we’re laying out all the conduits now.” As with any project of this scope there have been
some minor delays, but they have not set back the proj- ect significantly, Lee noted. Challenges have included the need to park some buses offsite at a high school and not being about to operate out of the district’s largest yard over the summer. The facility is expected to be completed by next summer.
Making Ready South Colonie Schools in Albany, New York, is final- izing plans for a transportation facility upgrade that represents the third phase of a district-wide initiative
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