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East Stroudsburg committee backs $125,000 upgrade to North bus depot lounge and bathrooms
Summary
The Facilities Committee recommended a phased renovation of the North Bus Depot that will add an internal bathroom, storage and a larger lounge for dispatch staff and drivers; committee approved proceeding with an estimated $125,000 addition and will pursue multi‑phase work to limit disruption.
The East Stroudsburg Area School District Facilities Committee on April 1 recommended moving forward with a roughly $125,000 permanent addition and interior upgrades to the district’s North Bus Depot to provide a bathroom, storage and an enlarged lounge for dispatch staff and bus drivers.
The committee discussed multiple options for the site — from building an entirely new 1,200-square-foot structure at about $600,000 to buying modular buildings at about $190,000 — before settling on a smaller, permanent addition to the existing auxiliary building. Daryl (staff member) and Josh (staff member) described the roughly $125,000 figure as a preliminary contractor estimate for constructing an addition that would include a restroom, a file/storage room and a larger, finished lounge that connects to the existing building.
Committee members said the plan will reduce daily disruption for dispatchers and drivers who now must walk outside to use a restroom or to access other work spaces. The committee also discussed operational trade-offs such as converting part of the existing garage to office/lounge space and the implications for vehicle maintenance: if the back half of the garage is repurposed, maintenance work would continue at the South lot until a long‑term garage solution is built.
Members emphasized a phased approach. The committee previously approved a separate, smaller $7,000 upgrade to the front lounge area that can be completed quickly; the $125,000 addition would be pursued as the next phase so drivers have an improved short‑term space while the longer construction proceeds. Committee members said the restroom work would be scheduled first, and additional lounge work would follow, with the goal of minimizing construction during the school year and completing larger phases in the summer.
The committee noted alternative lower‑cost approaches (for example, a pole‑barn structure with interior finishing was discussed as a cheaper, but less permanent, avenue) but said the addition to the existing auxiliary building would better meet the district’s long‑term needs. Josh said the contractor estimate assumes direct connection to existing septic facilities, which reduces hookup complexity.
At the meeting’s motions segment the committee voted to recommend “Option 3E” — the addition and upgrades at the auxiliary building with the roughly $125,000 estimate — to the full board for approval to proceed to design/bid. The committee discussed timing uncertainties tied to bids, material lead times and schedules; members said the work would be phased to reduce service interruptions and that a new full garage (if later pursued) would be scheduled separately.
The committee also discussed related facilities items in the same meeting, including roof, boiler and AV projects funded in part by state grants, and noted plans to return to the board with final cost estimates and an RFP process for the selected option.
The committee did not provide a firm construction start date; members said timing will depend on bid results, contractor schedules and material availability.
