School board OKs new auditorium doors, replacement bus

The Fairfield Community School District Board of Directors approved new doors for the high school auditorium and a replacement bus during the board meeting Monday evening at the Administration/Curriculum/Technology Center.

Fairfield High School Auditorium will get an update with three new sets of double doors leading into its lobby.

Facilities director Jeff Koontz explained Doors Inc. of Des Moines will be replacing the doors that are original to the 1939 building. The bottoms of the 80-year-old metal doors have rusted out, he said, adding that is not something out of the ordinary.

The new doors will be the same style as the original ones. Koontz said the district plans to transfer the locks on the current doors to the new doors. He said the personnel will paint the doors.

The door-replacement project is a budgeted 2019-20 Secure an Advanced Vision for Education account project. It will cost $25,680.

A $28,650 bid from Walsh Doors & Security of Iowa City also had been received and considered.

The school board members also approved a proposal to purchase a $58,981 bus from Thomas Bus Sales of Des Moines.

The 2017 Thomas C2 65-passenger bus will be a replacement for the district's bus that was damaged on April 9. Transportation director Mark Branch said the bus that was damaged 'hit a soft spot on the shoulder and laid over.”

The district received a loss pay of $88,207 from its insurance company.

Branch said the district found a bargain in the replacement bus. The bus is coming off a three-year lease and has 23,178 miles. The bus specifications are nearly identical to the damaged bus, but it has air-ride suspension. Branch said the district's last four buses have air-ride suspension, which provides a smoother ride for passengers and less wear-and-tear on the vehicle itself.

Two other companies offered proposals.

One was from School Bus Sales Co. of Waterloo, which offered a 2017 Blue Bird Vision bus, with about 50,000 miles for $61,550.

The other was from Hoglund Bus Co. Inc. of Marshalltown offering a 2016 IC CE bus, with about 45,000 miles for $62,000.