GALION—A long time goal for the Galion City School System was celebrated Tuesday.
Jim Grubbs, Superintendent of Galion City School spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new bus garage. The garage, formerly at 828 Edwards St., will now be located on the school’s campus at 470 Portland Way North.
Grubbs told guests of the long process of relocating the facility. When the new school was originally opened it was not possible to build the garage. They needed additional land so that the garage wouldn’t push up against the backyards of homes near the school. When land became available the school board authorized its purchase.
According to Grubbs, having the garage and the campus located on different sides of town resulted in the buses traveling about 25,000 miles per year with no students on the buses. Drivers had to return the buses to the garage at the end of every transport during morning, mid-day and afternoon transport. There are also approximately 500 field trips per year including athletic events. Maintenance equipment had to be loaded and moved from the garage to the campus and unloaded costing additional monies in salaries to drivers and maintenance workers who are paid hourly. Grubbs estimated the savings in salaries paid to transport buses and equipment from the garage to the school would equal a year’s pay for a maintenance man.
Grubbs said the biggest difference between the former garage and the new garage is the size. They will be able to work on more than one bus at a time allowing them to do a much better job and there will be more storage. The other big difference is that the new garage will have a wash bay. “There’s a saying in Ohio that buses do not wear out, they rust out.” Grubbs said. The wash bay will keep the buses free of salt and other debris that causes rust. They can be washed more often and inside the bay. He noted that it was nearly impossible to wash a bus inside at the former location.
Grubbs thanked the Mayor of Galion, the Galion City Council and in particular Thomas Palmer the City Law Director. Palmer’s office worked to create the appropriate zoning for the garage and helped secure funding for the construction of the garage so that the district would not have to seek additional monies from voters to complete the project.
An important component to the process for the Superintendent was to keep the labor local for the project. Weithman Brothers Construction built the garage and all the sub-contracting work was kept local wherever possible.
Grubbs applauded the Galion City School Board for its devotion to complete the project. Grubbs thanked Transportation Supervisor Sherri McMillen for her hard work during the process. The buses were moved to the new location on Monday. They rolled out of their new home on the school campus for the first time Tuesday morning.