MUSD looking for bus depot site

Maricopa Unified School District wants to build a bus depot, but the question is where. The district has roughly $5 million in bond money available to build a structure to house the district’s 40 buses.

“We need to get a facility built soon because the current facility is very inadequate,” said Burnie Hibbard, MUSD interim business manager.

One possible location the district is looking at is located in the Lakes at Rancho El Dorado subdivision. This piece of land is adjacent to Global Water and is 12 acres in size.

“If we want to get this facility built in a timely fashion, this may be the only spot to do it,” said MUSD Governing Board member Jim Chaston. He added that, although he doesn’t like the site, this the only place to put the facility that wouldn’t require the district making a land purchase.

“We do own other parcels of land, but this is the only one that doesn’t have any stipulations on it,” said Paul Kasparian, facilities director for the district.

If the district had to purchase a parcel of similar size, it would cost anywhere from $500,000 to $4.5 million. The reason for the wide price range is because land in Maricopa varies greatly in cost, depending on where it is located and if it is commercial, residential or industrial.

“We could buy cheap land on the outskirts of town, but then you have to factor in the added gasoline costs. It is better to have a busing station that is centrally located,” Hibbard said. “By using the current parcel we can build a facility that will fulfill the district’s needs for 10 years. If we have to purchase land, the facility may need to be expanded in five years.”

The district not only owns this parcel of land, but it also owns the adjacent 12-acre parcel, which would allow for easy expansion.

“As the district grows we are going to continue to add buses, and we are going to continually need to increase the size of the bus facility. This parcel of land would allow that,” Hibbard said.

Some drawbacks do exist with regard to this parcel. The possible expansion site is adjacent to a future community park, and buses warming up in the morning could send a cloud of exhaust fumes pouring out over the area.

“We need a bus garage and parking area bad, but I don’t know if we want to put it by a park,” said MUSD Governing Board member Tim White.

Kasparian countered concerns about the garage being next to a park, saying that there are safety requirements that must be addressed during construction, and the school cannot just plop down a garage without meeting those safety requirements.

White isn’t the only one who is not sure about the site.

City staffer Paul Jepson, who acts as liaison between the district and the city, said,” The city is not in favor of this site.” The reasons are the site’s proximity to so many residential units as well as other transportation aspects.

The Maricopa Unified School District’s governing board will discuss the possible parking garage location and site alternatives at the Aug. 27 board meeting.

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