SALEM Board plans meeting for input on bus garage

The school board expects to decide the matter in about a month.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- City residents will have a chance to voice opinions on a new bus garage the school district is considering.
The school board, which has been discussing the project for months, will have a special meeting to take public input before deciding, Superintendent Dr. David Brobeck said Monday.
School officials may decide in the next month whether to go ahead with the project, which is being considered for property in the 1000 block of Franklin Avenue.
Brobeck said a meeting will be called because houses are near the proposed site, which is zoned commercial.
The district wants to be a good neighbor, Brobeck said.
Some residents living near the site have expressed reservations about having buses use the property because they worry about noise and fumes, Brobeck said.
He noted, however, that the building on the property already is used for trucking operations.
District officials are willing to consider installation of a buffer zone to reduce the impact on the neighborhood should a bus garage be established there, Brobeck said.
The school board met privately before its regular meeting to discuss buying the Franklin Avenue land and the garage that's already on it. Asking price for the property is $200,000.
Renovations required
Renovations would be required to make the garage suitable for buses.
The school board wants the building's owner, Herron Transfer Co. of Salem, to make those fixes before selling the property.
Improvements being sought by the school district include painting and structural repairs. The building also must be made accessible to the disabled, Brobeck said.
School officials have said the district could save money by operating its own bus garage to house its nearly 17-bus fleet.
The district pays about $95,000 annually to have its buses housed and maintained at a private facility on Prospect Street.
It would cost the district about $70,000 annually to operate its own facility, district officials have said.
New bus
In other bus matters, the board agreed to buy a new school bus from Myers Equipment of Canfield for $56,618. The state is providing $53,000 toward the purchase. The remainder will be paid by the school district.
leigh@vindy.com