Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lewis Central board approves purchase of two air‑conditioned Bluebird buses for $386,780
Summary
The Lewis Central Community School District board voted Nov. 3 to buy two Bluebird school buses equipped with air conditioning for $386,780 after hearing staff recommendations and discussing costs, fleet composition and accessibility constraints.
The Lewis Central Community School District board on Nov. 3 approved the purchase of two Bluebird school buses equipped with air conditioning for a total of $386,780.
An unidentified board member moved to approve the purchase, saying, “Motion to approve the purchase of 2 buses with AC units from Bluebird for the cost of $386,780.” The motion was seconded and passed on a roll‑call vote with all members present voting yes.
Staff had presented two bids, including offers from Thomas and Bluebird. District staff recommended Bluebird based on fleet commonality and specifications. During discussion, staff and board members reviewed lifecycle replacement needs (roughly two buses per year) and operational features such as under‑floor storage for athletic equipment. A staff estimate presented earlier in the meeting showed a base total of about $369,710 for the selected spec; adding air conditioning to both units increased the total to $386,780, an increase staff quantified as “$17,070 difference.”
Board members raised maintenance and service questions: staff noted some electronic or differential repairs may require vendor service offsite, and that recent orders delivered after roughly six months. Staff said ordering now would aim for delivery by next summer.
The board also discussed broader transportation policy questions raised during the meeting: state rules in this jurisdiction prevent purchasing charter buses, the district cannot buy factory-built handicap‑accessible vans except for a discontinued model known in the record as the MV‑1 (the speaker said the MV‑1 went out of business in 2016), and these constraints affect options for transporting students with mobility needs.
The approved motion and roll‑call votes were recorded in the meeting minutes. The district will proceed with procurement and delivery scheduling under contract terms for the Bluebird units.
Votes at the Nov. 3 meeting that included this purchase were recorded as part of the meeting’s official actions.
