MOUNT OLIVET — The Robertson County School District will soon have a new bus garage.
Robertson County Schools Superintendent Sanford Holbrook said the district has needed a new bus garage for some time as the current one is older and does not meet the needs of the district.
According to Holbrook, the current bus garage is located behind the old Deming School gymnasium and is about 50 years old. It does not have a hydraulic lift inside and when a bus is pulled into the garage, the doors cannot be closed.
“The garage is about five to six feet too small to have the doors closed when a bus is pulled inside,” he said. “It makes things difficult for our mechanics, especially in the winter, because they have to work on a bus with the doors open.”
According to Michael Graf, with Trace Creek Construction, there will be two offices, a work room and a lift for buses in the new garage.
“I’ve only seen the outside of the other bus garage, but talking to the mechanic, he’s excited to get in here,” he said. “There isn’t even a lift in the other garage.”
Graf said there have been four weather delays since construction began in July 2018, but construction is anticipated to be complete in about six weeks.
The garage will help make the buses safer for students, according to Holbrook.
“Safety is our number one priority,” he said. “Having this new garage will help us make our buses safer.”
The new garage is also being built behind the RCS Agricultural barn along Kentucky 616. A two-lane roadway with one entrance and exit will also be constructed, allowing easy bus access.
“By building the garage there, we will have everything on the same campus,” he said. “We’ll have cameras in the area so we can monitor the buses and what is happening at the garage.”
Holbrook said he was pleased to see the garage coming together.
“I’m pleased the board of education approved the building of this garage,” he said. “It will help us improve safety and keeping our buses in top notch shape. It’s another upgrade to our school district. We appreciate the support we’ve received from the community. We’re blessed with all of the support we’ve received.”
According to Holbrook, Trace Creek Construction is completing the work for $750,000. The funding comes from bonding through the facilities money.
