October 20, 2005

Craig Conrad, the supervisor of maintenance for the Yellow Springs school district, standing inside the bus barn that is being constructed on the Yellow Springs High School grounds.

By Lauren Heaton

As the cooler weather signals the coming of frost and snow, Yellow Springs school bus drivers needn’t fear that the district’s fleet of buses will sit in the cold for long.

Though the wooden pole barn that housed the buses was razed last spring, Craig Conrad, the district’s maintenance supervisor, is working to make sure that at least part of the new steel bus barn at Yellow Springs High School is erected by winter.

The 6,000-square-foot structure, located in the YSHS parking lot, will eventually serve more than the school district’s six buses, said Superintendent Tony Armocida. When the building is completed next spring, it will provide storage for grounds maintenance machinery, football and track equipment and theater props and materials, which are currently being stored in garages and basements all over Yellow Springs. The building will also house a new concession stand.

“It addressed a lot of needs we’ve had for a long time,” Conrad said. “If you’re going to do another building, you might as well fit some other things in as well.”

The project is expected to cost $63,700. The district spent $30,000 on the building kit and another $25,000 on inside labor, Treasurer Joy Kitzmiller said.

In addition, the extracurricular groups that will use part of the barn independently raised over $8,000 for the project, she said.

Conrad, the construction manager and chief worker, assisted by David McManamay, the school’s indoor and outdoor maintenance supervisor, and Todd Van Lehn, who owns Van Lehn Construction Services, began construction at the start of the summer and will continue to do the bulk of the work, Armocida said.

Using school employees has significantly reduced the cost of the project, he said.

“I’m really proud of Craig and David for the job they’ve done, and Todd Van Lehn, who’s such a community guy,” Armocida said. “Those three guys have really done a heck of a job.”

Conrad said he has enjoyed the challenge of putting together what he called “a big erector set.”

Following an instruction book, outlining the correct order of assembly, Conrad began by pouring the concrete piers and then piecing together the trusses and beams on the ground. He and McManamay used a forklift to erect the framing two weeks ago. The next steps will be to pour the concrete floor, put up the metal roof and siding and install the plumbing and utilities needed for a restroom and a washing station for the buses, Conrad said.

Contact: lheaton@ysnews.com