By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The director of buildings and grounds told the Hays school board on Monday it could no longer wait to make repairs on some of its older buildings.
The school district had postponed some major repairs, especially on the older elementary schools, because it had hoped to pass a bond issue to build a new elementary school and make other repairs.
However, two bonds have failed since 2016. Although the school board discussed mounting a third bond attempt, no plan ever took shape.
Rusty Lindsay, buildings and grounds director, told the board he was going to have to significantly rewrite his capital improvements plan, because issues at Wilson and O’Loughlin elementary schools were becoming serious enough they could no longer wait.
Lindsay said he hoped to have the revisions to the school board by January.
Repairs to leaks at the transportation shop also can no longer wait, he said. The repairs are likely to be costly, Lindsay said, because there is asbestos that will have to be removed during the repairs.
Work to the Roosevelt Elementary School roof is set to begin in the next week and a half, weather permitting. The district also finally received an order of locks to finish replacing interior door locks at Roosevelt, Hays Middle School and Hays High School. The locks at Roosevelt will be replaced over Christmas break, and the locks at HMS and HHS will replaced over spring break.
Buses
Russ Henningsen, director of transportation, came before the board to request the purchase of two diesel route buses and one gas route bus as part of the district’s five-year transportation plan.
The bids on the buses were updated Monday. The total cost for the buses will be $283,987, which was $20,013 under budget.
Board member Greg Schwartz asked Henningsen about the possible purchase of a coach activity bus. He said that was a possibility, but he recommended the purchase of the route buses this year, because they are needed more. They also are less expensive than the coach buses, which can cost about $240,000.
Superintendent Ron Wilson acknowledged a new activity bus is needed. He said the district could include that purchase in its transportation purchases for the next fiscal year. If it ordered the bus in July, the district should have it delivered before the end of the fall semester 2020.
The school district transports about 335 students per day 541 miles per day on its regular daily route. When activities are added in, the district is averaging 1,900 miles per day and 561 passengers per day.
Henningsen said the district needs all of the buses it has now. It has eight route buses and five activity buses. He said it is not uncommon to have all five activity buses out at one time. The district also uses activity buses for spares when route buses break down.