Iowa School District Moves Forward on Long-Awaited Bus Barn

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

  • Image courtesy of MiEN Company

    6 Ways to Pull Off a Major District Construction Project

    Designing and building a large-scale project on a K–12 campus is a monumental undertaking that requires the right blend of ideas, funding, design and execution to get it right. The process also relies on multiple partners, each of which has to handle its respective aspect of the project while also keeping the district’s broader mission and goals in mind.

  • Greenheck Launches Optics Sensors for Kitchen Hoods

    Greenheck recently announced the launch of factory-installed optics sensors as an enhanced option for its kitchen ventilation hoods, according to a news release.

  • Creating a First and Lasting Impression with Thoughtful, Sustainable Design

    Clemson University’s Nieri Family Alumni and Visitors Center serves as the new front door to campus, anchoring the Tiger experience through each step in the student journey.

  • University of Kentucky Stormwater Harvesting System Receives Award

    The Utilities and Energy Management team from the University of Kentucky recently received a Grand Award at the 2025 Engineering Excellence Awards, according to a university news release. The award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Kentucky was for the university’s Central Utility Plant (CUP) Stormwater Harvesting System, which activated in fall 2023.

Digital Edition