Chardon Schools celebrated the opening of the district’s new transportation compound at 400 Washington Street with a rather unusual ribbon cutting Dec. 15 — instead of snipping the red line in half with scissors, they drove a bus through it.
Chardon Schools celebrated the opening of the district’s new transportation compound at 400 Washington Street with a rather unusual ribbon cutting Dec. 15 — instead of snipping the red line in half with scissors, they drove a bus through it.
The $7 million improvement project provides a significant benefit to the district and community, Chardon Superintendent Mike Hanlon said.
The project, which has been underway for two years, included renovations to two existing buildings on the property, according to previous reporting.
“What we are able to do as a result of the work that’s been done here on Washington Street is centralize all of our business operations and transportation services, (information technology,) food service operations, warehousing, maintenance of all of our fleet vehicles and so on,” Hanlon said.
Those offices had moved multiple times during his tenure and previously had no stable home, he said.
“Most importantly, it’s the ability for all of those services that people don’t typically see — they don’t see food service, they don’t see transportation front and center every day — but they’re integral to us being able to deliver on our mission in our school district, which is our commitment to high achievement for all students,” Hanlon said. “This will allow each of those offices to professionally deliver those core services that are so important to our students and our staff each day.”
The centralization has also improved traffic flow around Chardon High School, he said.
The district’s fleet vehicles are parked in the front of the facility, near an area that also includes a training lot for new drivers, Hanlon said. The north section of the building houses business operations, while the south end houses maintenance operations.
A second building at the rear of the property is dedicated to fleet vehicle maintenance and can accommodate about nine vehicles, compared to two at the previous location, he said.
Following Hanlon’s remarks, which concluded with thanks to a number of departments, individuals and the community, attendees and local officials were led outside for the ribbon cutting, despite the freezing temperatures.
The crowd erupted into cheers as a school bus drove through the ribbon, officially marking the opening of the new facility.
