The Fairbanks Local School District will soon have its own propane station.
The board of education voted to purchase a propane fueling station from Union Propane for $17,554, at a special meeting Monday. The district also voted to approve a three-year contract with Heritage to supply the station with propane for $1.14 per gallon.
“It was the most cost-effective (option),” board treasurer Aaron Johnson said.
The discussion of switching to propane-powered buses has been ongoing at Fairbanks board meetings since September, 2017, and the board almost made a decision on a propane fueling station in July.
The original decision would have seen the district contract with Shilling Propane as a service and pay $1.38 per gallon in a three-year contract.
However, board members Derek Nicol and Angie Bouic were in support of the board building its own fueling station, and get into a one-year lease.
“I think they felt, with the price of $1.14 per gallon, that was a very good price to lock in for three years,” Johnson said.
The gas station will be at the bus garage, and Johnson said the board expects the station to be operational by Aug. 15.
Also, the board has begun the process of finding a interim superintendent.
The board spoke with K-12 Business Consulting, Inc. to assist with finding potential interim candidates.
According to K-12 Business Consulting, Inc., the interim superintendent candidates are Larry Zimmerman, former Marysville Schools superintendent; David Bates, formerly a superintendent with Cedar Cliff Local Schools and Clinton-Massie Schools; Gregg Morris, a former superintendent for Gahanna-Jefferson and Clark-Shawnee Local Schools; and Thomas Shade, a former River Valley Local School superintendent.
Interviews for the interim superintendent will conclude by Aug. 6, and a final decision will be made Aug. 8.
The district will host several forums for community involvement, with the first one starting Sept. 20. These forums will be led by K-12 Business Consulting, Inc. and will ask students, staff and residents to talk about what they want to see in a new superintendent.
The board of education intends to hire a new superintendent by February, 2019.