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During a regular Elk Rapids Public Schools Board of Education meeting Feb. 12, district business manager Jeff Scroggins said the facility's projected cost is about $470,000, an estimate provided by an architect.

Transportation supervisor Les Morden and maintenance and custodial supervisor Jack Howard discussed the need for a brand new facility that includes more space, more work stalls and a four-post lift. Howard said a new facility could also assist his department and that some of the equipment could be shared for repairs.

After the meeting, Scroggins said a bond would be the only "viable" option for funding the project.

In a presentation to the board, he showed the costs for two bond millage options. One showed the millage rate required to pay for the facility on its own, and the other showed a millage rate that would pay for both the facility and a recently proposed technology project.

For the facility millage alone, Scroggins said a bond for $470,000 could be paid off in six years, adding .10 mills per year to tax bills. He said this rate would have minimal cost to the individual taxpayer with a home valued at $200,000. That home would have $100,000 taxable value, which would amount to a $10 annual cost for the taxpayer, he said.

A bond that would pay for the bus facility and the technology project -- which has an estimated $840,000 pricetag -- would add 0.29 mills per year to tax bills for six years. The cost to the individual tax payer with a home valued at $200,000 would then be $29 per year, he said.

Using a PowerPoint presentation, Morden and Howard showed the board the poor working conditions that the district's mechanic, Tim Earl, works under at the current Kewadin bus facility.

One photo in the presentation showed Earl working alongside a bus with about two feet between him and a wall. Another photo showed him working under a bus on the floor without any kind of lift to assist him.

Snow and water are constantly dripping in his face while he is trying to work, and the lack of a lift isn't safe for Earl, especially when he is under a bus working with welders or changing oil, Morden said.

"He can't even get out of the way when sparks fly," he added.

Morden said the building was leased by the schools in 1980 when there were 16 busses in the fleet. Today there are 21 busses in the fleet. In 1980, the facility cost $200 to rent per month including utilities, but today the rental costs have jumped to $700 per month, not including utilities.

Other problems cited by Howard and Morden included the use of an air compressor manufactured in 1944 and the general lack of storage space. Earl's "office" is in the furnace room, where his paperwork continues to get peppered with soot, Morden said. One work stall forces other busses waiting for repair to sit outside in the snow, he added.

After the meeting, Morden said the current facility in Kewadin was built in 1967 -- the same year he graduated from high school. He said the one-stall layout has many disadvantages. For example, during the last week of January, the department had to participate in a Michigan State Police inspection that took four days to complete. On all four days, the one stall Earl had to work in was tied up for the inspection, Morden said.

The presentation at the school board meeting included the words "lack of productivity," which was what Morden said happens because of the obstacles Earl has had to face.

The situation Earl has been in is tough, but he is dedicated, Morden said.

"I don't know what I would do without him," he said. "He's been such a trooper. Some people would throw the wrenches down and quit, but the students really are his No. 1 priority."

Morden said that although the department assures the community that busses remain safe, he knows that things could be more efficient in terms of safety.

"We're doing the best we can, but we know it can be better," he said.

After the presentation, board Trustee Ed Bailey recommended that Morden and Howard look into the costs of collaborating some of their work with another facility because the tax payers would probably like to see those figures against the costs for the proposed new facility. It might help them build their case, he said.

Board Trustee Doug Coates asked Morden to get an expert opinion for the absolute total cost for the bus facility.

In a presentation to the board, Scroggins showed two possibilities for funding the facility. In the first scenario, payment would come from the general fund in the amount of $30,000 per year for 25 years. A savings of $10,000 due to the district no longer renting a facility would bring the additional funds needed to $20,000 per year, he said.

But Scroggins said he feels a bond would be the only viable option to fund the project because schools aren't intended to use the general fund for largescale projects of this nature.