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Board weighs removal, insurance and timing for 32-year-old diesel tank at bus barn
Summary
District staff told trustees the 10,000-gallon underground diesel tank serving the bus barn is 32 years old, recently lost supplemental insurance coverage, and staff are exploring IDEM mitigation funds, removal cost estimates (roughly $65k–$80k) and whether to pause a planned paving contract to avoid rework.
School staff alerted the board that an aging 10,000-gallon underground diesel storage tank sits between the bus barn and the new auditorium and that the board’s supplemental insurer will no longer provide coverage for the unit.
“The underground storage tank is 32 years old,” staff (S1) told trustees, adding that the tank continues to pass routine inspections but that losing the prior supplemental policy means the district has fewer private coverages in case of a release. Staff said the district enrolled in the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s (IDEM) Excess Liability Tank Fund, which requires the district to show the ability to provide $15,000 in initial funds and would help offset cleanup costs.
Staff gave early cost estimates: removing the tank could cost about $65,000–$80,000; an alternative—using a supplier-provided above-ground 2,000-gallon tank maintained by the vendor—would cost roughly $18,000–$20,000 to purchase if the district owned it. Staff also noted IDEM offers a preapproval program that can pay up to 50% of removal costs, but details and eligibility must be confirmed.
Trustees expressed concern about completing a previously contracted paving project before a removal decision. One trustee (S3) suggested pausing or amending the paving contract to avoid paving over the tank and then having to excavate it later, calling the sequencing “important” for cost and site management. Staff said they would provide more detailed cost estimates, options for above-ground storage, and information about contractual remedies for the paving bid.
No final action was taken; trustees asked staff to return with vendor quotes, a cost‑benefit of removal vs. vendor-supplied fuel service, and clarification from IDEM about the 50% removal mitigation program.
