Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Iowa School District Moves Forward on Long-Awaited Bus Barn

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/12/21

In the Spirit Lake Community School District in Spirit Lake, Iowa, the school board has awarded a construction bid for a project that Superintendent Dr. David Smith says has been in the pipeline for quite some time—a “bus barn” to house the district’s school buses. Following the completion of other district improvements like the addition of an Early Childhood Center and renovations to the middle school, Smith said there were enough funds left over to pursue its construction.

Dean Madigan of Madigan Construction was awarded the bid. “It will cost us close to $725,000 in the end with all our expenses, roughly around there, so we’re just really excited to get moving on it,” said Smith.

School bus

Smith said construction will begin soon and that the project is scheduled to be completed by Sept. 1. The bus facility’s new home lies south of the district middle school.

“We’re looking at one full, heated, completely insulated shop,” he said, “and then we’re looking at two other buildings—kind of more of a cold-storage concept to those two, where we will just have a shell of a building…As we move forward, we’ll add insulation. We’ll do other things to make it complete.”

Smith touted the district bus fleet’s perfect inspection record. He said that having a central, heated location for storage and maintenance will serve as a good starting point for future endeavors, as well as provide safety and security benefits.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • From Approval to Opening: Inside Travis Unified School District’s Fast Tracked Campus Expansion

    The Travis Unified School District (TUSD) in northern California includes several elementary and high schools serving over 5,400 students. In 2024, the TUSD Board approved the addition of sixth grade to the Golden West Middle School campus for the 2025–26 school year, setting in motion an accelerated effort to bring new facilities online in less than a year.

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Announces Acquisition of JJCA

    Wold Architects & Engineers, based in Minneapolis, Minn., recently announced that it has acquired JJCA, an architecture firm based in Nashville, Tenn., according to a press release. JJCA specializes in healthcare and education design; the partnership allows both firms to expand their presence across the country while building on existing strengths.

  • Universities Continue to Launch Multimillion-Dollar Campus Transformations

    What makes the current wave of campus development especially noteworthy is its emphasis on multi-use functionality and community integration. Institutions are no longer investing solely in academic or athletic facilities in isolation. Instead, they are creating destinations that blend recreation, health, housing, and event-driven economic activity.

  • Moline-Coal Valley School District to Consolidate Two Schools into New Facility

    The Moline-Coal Valley School District in Moline, Ill., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff from two existing schools, according to local news. Robert Ontiveros Elementary School will serve as the new home for Lincoln-Irving Elementary School and Willard Elementary School.