Friday, April 25, 2003
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Friday, April 25, 2003 |
Fayette bus maintenance program among top 10 in nationBy J. FRANK
LYNCH
The Fayette County Board of Education's transportation department, hit hard by a June 1999 fire that destroyed the district's garage, has bounced back to be named among the top 10 maintenance programs in the nation by School Bus Fleet magazine. An article in the April/May issue of the transportation trade magazine relates how the Fayette department managed to continue fulfilling maintenance duties and passing state inspections after the electrical fire completely destroyed the bus shop behind the Board of Education offices on Stonewall Avenue. While the shop was being rebuilt, the maintenance team relocated to the old auto mechanic garage at the former Fayette County High building, extending a tarp from the side to accommodate the buses and keep out the elements, the article says. Transportation Coordinator Pam Holt is quoted in the article praising shop supervisor George Davis with turning a tragedy into a triumph. "He took over the entire process and slowly but surely rebuilt the shop while keeping his men encouraged. The department never missed a beat during that time. I don't know how they worked in such adverse conditions and did such a fine job," Holt said. As big a blow as the fire was, Davis said the facility he has now is far superior to the old one, with two more bus bays and upgrades including painted floors, portable lifts and better lighting. "We installed high-output fluorescent lights throughout the shop, so visibility is tremendously better," says Davis in the article. "That probably is the single best improvement we made." The magazine ranked the top 10 programs for their excellence in technician training, innovative projects, commitment to safety, cost efficiency, staff morale and more. The other Top 10 school bus maintenance programs were Caribeau, Maine; Clarksville-Montgomery County, Tenn.; Elzabethtown-Lewis Central, N.Y.; First Student Inc., Augusta, Maine; Independence, Mo.; Jones School Bus, Grandlake, Ill.; Red Lion, Penn.; Santa Monica-Malibu, Calif.; and Shelby County, Memphis, Tenn.
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