Board awards $59,900 fence contract to secure bus and maintenance lot

The Mercer County Board of Education voted to award a fencing contract to Eads Fence Company to secure the district’s bus and maintenance lot.

Staff presented the project as a safety and asset-protection measure after a recent trailer theft. The proposal calls for a 6-foot black chain-link fence, two pedestrian gates, one electric gate with keypad access and one manual gate for occasional trailer access. Staff described the low bid as approximately $59,900 and recommended accepting the bid from Eads Fence Company of Richmond, Kentucky.

A board member moved to accept the low bid and another board member seconded the motion. The board conducted a roll-call vote; each of the board members present voted in the affirmative and the motion passed.

Why it matters: staff emphasized the value of district buses and recent security incidents as the primary rationale. During the presentation staff noted district buses cost in the range of $150,000 to $200,000 each, and that securing the lot reduces risk to high-value vehicles and equipment.

Implementation details in the meeting record indicate the installation will include keypad access so drivers can enter without padlocks during routine operations and that one manual gate will remain for maintenance trailers. Staff said the fencing cost will be covered from budgeted funds associated with a planned bus purchase that was deferred, freeing up the funds to cover the fence purchase.

The board did not specify the installation timeline in the meeting discussion; staff indicated the quote and attachments are on file with meeting materials for future reference.

The meeting adjourned after the vote.