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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