School board to decide on transportation facility

School board members will get the chance to decide tonight if a 22-acre parcel located off the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway behind the Rotary Club pool will be the new location of the district’s transportation and maintenance facility.

“It is a centrally-located site that would be a great home to the transportation facility,” said Paul Kasparian.

The site was originally donated to the district to serve as home to a district office and one other educational facility; however, district representatives were able to convince the donors to let a transportation facility fall under the umbrella of educational facility.

Currently the district is housing buses in multiple locations because of space constraints at the current transportation facility.

Furthermore, the current facility is also scheduled for demolition with the land to be used in the final phase of the high school expansion.

“Until we take care of the transportation facility, we are on hold with other projects,” said Burnie Hibbard, assistant to the superintendent.

Voters approved a nearly $55 million bond in 2007 to fund the construction of new schools, a district office, a transportation facility and renovations to the high school, but the transportation facility has been held up because of the inability to find a piece of land on which to construct it.

Earlier in the year a proposed site the district owned in the Lakes at Rancho Eldorado failed to receive approval from the board after strong protest from the community and city leaders.

In addition to deciding on the fate of the transportation facility, the governing board members will decide on a several other standard school board items.

To view the full agenda click here.

Photo by Michael K. Rich