PEA RIDGE — A new 4,500-square foot transportation garage with offices, a conference room, work stations and a wash bay was recentlyopened and dedicated for Pea Ridge schools.
“We’ve already held our first safety meeting here,” Randy Easterling, transportation director told the group gathered for the grand opening of the new facility.“It’s all for the safety of the kids.”
“Thank y’all very much,” Easterling told school officials.
Dr. Roland Smith, superintendent, said the school runs 17 buses over 345 miles a day.
“This is a very busy place,” hesaid.
“This is our seventh project for Pea Ridge - our sixth to complete,” Patrick Tenny, Baldwin & Shell vice president, said.
“This is like a palace compared to the old place,” Easterling said.
He commended Charlie Brewer, bus mechanic, for moving everything from the old building to the new.
“Charlie’s done pretty mucheverything by himself. He’s worked hard.”
Mayor Jackie Crabtree, who served on the school board from 1990-1994, said he remembers when the school bought the land on West Pickens Road for the high school. “I think those were some of the best decisions we made.
We bought this land for $60,000. That seemed like a whole lot of money backthen.”
“I don’t think we’ve ever had a school bond the people didn’t support,” Crabtree said.
The second bus garage in the history of the school, the new building located west of Weston Street behind the Primary School, replaces the bus garage behind the Intermediate School and gym on the downtown campus.
School records do not reflect when that garage was built, but several 1975 graduates said that garage was not there when they attended school at Pea Ridge. A baseball field and track were previously on that site.
The new bus garage was constructed by Baldwin & Shell Construction Company. Project manager was Mike Castagna.
News, Pages 1 on 05/16/2012