Transportation center construction to begin Sept.

Bus barn and two buildings to be built at single campus

By Amie Johansen | amie@charlescitypress.com

Buildings and Grounds Director Jerry Mitchell gave an update to Charles City School Board members at last night’s meeting. The Transportation Center will consist of three buildings: a maintenance facility building and two bus garages. The latter two garages will be bid as alternates.

According to Mitchell the primary building will be a “pre-engineered metal building, 54 feet by 155 feet.” This building will consist of two vehicle maintenance bays, one wash bay, a non-heated vehicular area, offices, restroom, parts storage and staff break room.

Heating and cooling of the office spaces will be gas-fired forced air with heat pump cooling and will be enclosed with drywall walls and acoustic ceiling and minimal finished floor covering, Mitchell said. According to the Skott & Anderson Architects’ report, the maintenance building, site improvements and concrete paving is estimated to cost $830,000.

Part of the site work includes the Comet Drive access road looping around the single campus. This road is already under construction and has been included as part of the middle school project.

“We’re realizing some savings by doing that (road now),” School Board Member Robin

Macomber said.

She said completing the access road will make the middle school project appear over budget, however, the dollars spent over the building budget to finish the road have been appropriated as part of the transportation center project.

Mitchell also gave descriptions of the bus garages: each building will be 4,928 square feet with measurements of 102.67 feet by 48 feet. These buildings will not be insulated nor will they include a finished interior. They will each be capable of housing seven buses, for a total of 14 buses to be stored internally.

“Life expectancy of buses will go up,” Mitchell said of the positives of storing the buses in doors. He gave a specific example of bus reflectors fading quickly and not meeting inspections due to continually being exposed.

These pole barn alternates are expected to cost $320,000. The second alternate concerns paving the east end of the building site for a cost of $50,000. This area would remain gravel if the alternate was not improved. A contingency of $50,000 has been set for a total estimated construction cost of $1,250,000.

The transportation center will be built southeast of the existing high school. All trees in the footprint of the project have already been removed, Mitchell said. 

A public hearing concerning the project has been set for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8 to be held in the Washington Elementary School library.