Wednesday, July 28, 1999
School buses ready to roll despite fire, officials say

By PAT NEWMAN
Staff Writer

Fayette County School District's fleet of 193 school buses have passed safety inspections by the Georgia State Patrol, reported bus shop foreman George Davis.

“The inspection went great and we had little or no problem at all,” Davis said. The only problems found were minor, he added.

The Georgia State Patrol annually checks all public school buses for the condition of the fluid systems, steering, tires, lights, brakes, exhaust system and interior.

This year, bus shop mechanics had to “hunker down and get ready for the early inspection in the parking lot,” of the LaFayette Education Center, according to Davis, because of a June 21 fire that gutted the bus barn and destroyed five buses and two maintenance trucks. The automotive shop at the facility, formerly the Fayette County High School, is serving as a temporary base of operations for the crew.

Davis said space is limited, about one-third of the area previously available for use, but noted that a bus can be accommodated within the walls of the shop once the entrance is enlarged. “We still have quite a bit of work to do on the buses,” Davis admitted.

The recent fire also destroyed 40 of the 50 cameras purchased last year for surveillance on the buses. Davis said the cameras were removed from the buses at the end of the school year and stored in the garage for safe keeping. “We still have to replace a lot of the equipment lost in the fire,” he said.

The school system recently added 23 new buses to its fleet of 152, through a lease/purchase arrangement with the Georgia School Boards Association.

Total cost included in the fiscal year 2000 budget for the buses is $278,000. The transportation department also plans to sell 17 surplus buses to the highest bidder. The buses are older models dating back to 1985 through 1987.


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