Riding the bus in Poland won’t stink

By DENISE DICK

denise_dick@vindy.com

Poland was among four Mahoning Valley school districts to receive Ohio Environmental Protection Agency grants to reduce emissions generated by school buses.

Poland received $94,792 and Carolyn Watkins, chief of OEPA’s office of environmental education, said the amount is expected to increase because another district isn’t able to use the full amount it was awarded.

Jackson-Milton received $91,270, Niles and Weathersfield received $12,327 and $10,566, respectively.

The aim of the grant program is “to reduce children’s exposure to pollutants in diesel exhaust from school buses,” Watkins said.

Poland’s grant is to install equipment on 12 district buses.

“We’ll be taking the old mufflers off,” said Superintendent Dr. Robert Zorn. “The program is for clean-air emissions.”

The district’s fleet includes 25 buses, but six of those are new and already equipped with lower emissions devices, he said.

Equipment purchased with the grant is expected to reduce emissions by nearly 50 percent per year.

The program, started in 2006, is funded by fines levied on pollution violators, the U.S. EPA and federal stimulus money.

It’s administered in two cycles per year, September and March.

“The next round of applications is due Sept. 1,” Watkins said.

In the latest round, the four districts were among the 15 school districts across Ohio to share $520,128 in grant money.