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Inside the Bus Barn: Meyer says new facility will save money in the long run
by David Namanny, Press-News Editor
The new bus barn for the Osage School District has been in use now for about a year and School Transportation Director Bobby Meyer wants the community to know that the new facility is an asset to both the school district and the community.
The fact is, he said, is that the bus barn will save the district money in the long run in terms of bus repair costs, maintenance, security and safety of the districts $900,000 fleet of buses, vans and cars.
"We've all heard people ask why we spent so much money on this bus barn - but the fact is that it wasn't that much cost for what we got," said Meyer, who pointed out that the new bus barn cost about $770,000 when completed, not the estimated $1.1 million that was originally put out by Cedar River Complex officials. The bus barn was one of three separate projects the school district benefited from last year, including a newconcrete parking lot and a new weight room
The school district and the Cedar River Complex, along with the Mitchell County Agricultural Society, Osage Education Foundation, City of Osage and Osage Municipal Utilities put together a plan that created these facilities, like the bus barn, that mutually benefited all parties involved.
The Osage School District committed $1 million to the cause, and got their money's worth, according to offiicials. That $1 million will be paid for through Local Option Sales Tax monies over time,
The new school bus barn and shop has approximately 21,000 square feet for bus and equipment storage, office, and shop space. This includes a large wash bay and three work bays and a hoist lift for repairs.
"We really want to thank the CRC people and all the people who donated to this project," said Meyer. "What people need to know is that not only was this essential to our school system, it is being heralded all over the state. In fact our state inspectors came and were amazed at the fine facility we have. A school from Fort Madison that was planning to build a new bus barn heard about our facility too. They drove all the way here to take a look at it."
Inside the bus barn, not only does Meyer plan the routes and oversee the drivers, he also fixes brakes, exhaust systems, services the vehicles and washes them. He is also on call 24/7 in the event a bus breaks down, and will drive to the scene to repair it. "If we were to take our vehicles uptown for service and repairs, it would cost a lot more," said Meyer. "We have all the equipment and tools right here to do 99 percent of the mechanical work, and I am the person who does the repairs, so there are no extra employees."
Meyer also said he plans to save the district even more money by using synthetic oil and nitrogen in the tires. "If we switch to sythnetic oil, we could reduce oil changes in all the vehicles and save thousands of dollars. If we use nitrogen in the tires, we will get a lot better mileage and save on fuel costs."
All total, there are 14 buses, 8 of which are on a daily route. That's 616 lights and 122 tires on the road. Those buses drive $3,180 miles each week. "The district's enrollment may have went down, but we still need to pick up the kids who live somewhere in the Osage School District's 227 square miles," concluded Meyer. "We plan to keep doing that in a professional manner, and now we can do it better than ever, at a lower annual cost."
Contractors involved in the construction of the Osage School District's bus barn were Kramer-Peterson of Mason City, building structure, Machin &Wild Electric, Adams Plumbing and Heating, Wagner Construction, concrete work and Advanced Doors, Forest City.
Story created Feb 09, 2010 - 13:27:16 CST.
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