Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Facility Storage topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
New Buffalo board approves plan for Building Trades storage building
Summary
The New Buffalo Area Schools Board unanimously approved a proposal to design a storage building for district departments and to use the Building Trades program for construction; Tower Pinkster will develop design plans and the building will have no plumbing and multiple garage bays.
The New Buffalo Area Schools Board of Education on Nov. 11 approved a proposal to develop a storage building to address equipment- and materials-storage needs across operations, transportation, athletics, performing arts and the Building Trades program.
Superintendent Adam Bowen recommended the project and said the board will engage Tower Pinkster to design a plan that "fits our needs." Bowen described the structure as a "pole barn style building with steel siding and steel roof the color blue like the rest of the out buildings on site," with attic storage and multiple garage bays. He told the board there would be no plumbing and that electrical needs would be reviewed during design. Board member Vanessa Thun moved to approve the recommendation, John Haskins seconded, and the motion carried with all ayes.
Why it matters: the district identified recurring shortages of secure, weather-protected storage for large equipment (tractors, Bobcat, Toolcat, vans) used by operations, transportation and athletics. The approval authorizes design work with Tower Pinkster and leaves construction as an opportunity for the district's Building Trades program to take on as a hands-on project in the coming year.
The board did not specify a construction timeline or total cost in the minutes; next procedural steps are design by Tower Pinkster and follow-up conversations about electrical requirements and formal bidding or in-house construction planning.
