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

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • University of Pittsburgh to Build New Residence Hall

    The Board of Trustees from the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Penn., recently approved the construction of a new residence hall for first-year students, according to university news.

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • Big Horn Academy

    Big Horn Academy

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Big Horn Academy has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.