School District’s Bus Barn Is Complete
The McDonald County R-1 School District’s new bus barn is complete. Superintendent Dr. Mark Stanton discussed the construction process and the opening of the building.
It has been seven or eight years since discussions began on the construction of a new bus barn, Stanton said. The facility was sorely needed.
The McDonald County R-1 School District’s new bus barn is complete. Superintendent Dr. Mark Stanton discussed the construction process and the opening of the building.
It has been seven or eight years since discussions began on the construction of a new bus barn, Stanton said. The facility was sorely needed.
“The old bus barn in Anderson by the high school was built in the 1960s, and since that time our fleet has expanded to over 50 routes and we’ve run out of space,” Stanton said.
The bus barn is located next to Pineville Primary School. The reason the board of education chose that site is because the district already owned the land and because of its proximity to I-49, Stanton said.
The garage itself is considerably larger than the old facility, going from a two-bay garage to a six-bay garage, Stanton said.
“The total square footage is 9,745. Three acres fenced in and we can expand later to five. More than enough room for our fleet to grow for many years down the road,” he said.
Controlled Technology Solutions built the $1.9 million building, which Stanton pointed out the district paid cash for.
“We had enough money in our reserves to pay for the building outright,” he said.
The board also made cost-saving moves during the planning process, including reducing the site from the original five acres to three and a half and turning the building away from the road, eliminating the need for masonry and other decoration on the front.
As for the construction process, “The construction process has gone very well,” Stanton said. “The biggest bump has been at the end of the project. We’ve had to delay the move-in of the transportation department due to flooding of the central office. But we feel blessed that we could have a place to move into as beautiful as this is.”
He continued, “We are supposed to be able to move back into our central office in July. The transportation department will move in sometime in July or August. They will be ready for the 2017-2018 year.”
Asked how he felt about the building being completed, Stanton said, “Very proud. It is a beautiful facility. This facility will be here a very long time supporting the students of McDonald County.”
He added, “I appreciate the efforts of CTS and the relationships we have built over the years with them. I appreciate Bob Campbell and his efforts too in getting the job finished.”