LoneDell R-14 committee directs designers to refine bus garage plan after review of three site concepts

The LoneDell R-14 Bus Garage Committee reviewed three conceptual site plans and preliminary cost estimates for a proposed bus garage during a Jan. 30 meeting; Brad Rucker, Board President, called the session to order at 9:00 a.m., and Stephanie York, Secretary to the Board, recorded attendance. Cochran Engineering presented the plans and Hoener Architects provided design notes and attachments.

Ryan Schweissguth of Cochran Engineering and Mark Ruether and Melissa Wucher of Hoener Architects told the committee that grading and drainage are the primary cost drivers for the project given roughly a 50-foot elevation change across the property. Design teams said shallow rock will make large cuts unpredictable and costly, and that importing fill is a more predictable strategy to reduce contingency risk.

Designers reviewed three schemes with differing finished floor elevations (FFEs): Concept 1 (FFE 749.00) would require the most imported fill (about 5,500 cubic yards), significant retaining walls and was described as the least flexible option; Concept 2 (FFE 745.00) lowers the building about four feet, provides a bus circulation loop and allows grading flexibility by partially disconnecting the garage from the existing parking; Concept 3 (FFE 742.00) separates covered bus parking from the garage, reduces fill and eliminates retaining walls but raised concerns about operational efficiency and connectivity.

Committee members discussed building placement and orientation, and designers recommended shifting the building further north on the site where roadway-side grades are more favorable. The committee emphasized bus circulation, pull-through access and maneuvering clearances as operational priorities, and noted that reconfiguring existing parking stalls is impractical because of bus turning radii.

On accessibility, the committee and design team observed there is no existing ADA path from the school to the proposed garage. They said constructing a fully compliant route would require significant modifications to parking-lot slopes; by consensus the committee concluded ADA access from the school is not required for current bus operations but could be addressed later if building use changes.

Security and site controls discussed included providing a six-foot fence around the cleared area of the newly acquired property and a four-foot fence around the dry detention basin for safety; additional perimeter fencing around the entire property was not required per the notes.

The committee recorded decisions directing the design team to maintain connectivity to the existing parking lot for overflow access, shift site improvements north where feasible to reduce grading and to refine a site plan that combines elements of Concepts 1 and 2 while excluding additional school parking expansion. Design direction also included reorienting the bus port to run parallel with Highway FF, enclosing the bus port on three sides for weather protection, and using 42-inch-wide modular concrete blocks for grade transitions where needed instead of segmented retaining walls.

Hoener Architects noted the existing north-side bus parking could be evaluated for overflow once the new garage is constructed, with potential to accommodate about 28 stalls plus an additional 14 stalls separated by a drive lane on the northwest side of the site. Franklin County stormwater detention requirements were cited as applicable to the project, and designers recommended using the natural site draw for detention (a dry basin) to limit steep-slope cuts.

Preliminary, line-item cost estimates and unit pricing for Concepts 1–3 were included in the meeting attachments; participants highlighted that imported fill and grading choices are the primary drivers of the differences in those estimates. The committee set a target to prepare a bid package after a bond issue anticipated in April and scheduled a coordination meeting for Feb. 6, 2026, to finalize direction before schematic development. The meeting adjourned at 11:05 a.m.