OUT OF THE ASHES
Park County School District #1 received new buses to replace those burned in fire
The Powell School District recently purchased six buses like the one pictured here to replace those burned in the September fire.
Since the bus barn caught fire on Sept. 14, 2020, the school district has been using six loaner buses from Lovell and Cody.
Since the buses were caught in the blaze, the school district has secured six new replacement buses. Three arrived on Jan. 27; the other three were received on Feb. 17. However, these replacement buses are quite the departure from their predecessors.
“Each [new bus] is equipped with seatbelts,” transportation director Mr. Steve Janes said. “They also have under storage, which is nice because if we need to use them on an activity trip, we have extra room to put items.”
The loaner buses were returned to their respective schools after Christmas break.
“All loaner buses are back in their rightful homes,” Park County School District #1 superintendent Mr. Jay Curtis said. “We thank our neighbors in Cody and Lovell for their extreme generosity in helping us through this very difficult time.”
Not being able to use Powell school buses was a bit of a struggle; Mr. Janes said he had to track their every move when in use.
“Having our own buses with the district name on the side lets others know who is in the bus and [who is] driving the bus,” Mr. Janes said. “We are all representing our district when we are traveling in the bus and visiting other communities.”
Powell residents have been wondering how to adjust the seat belts to fit smaller students and whether everyone has to wear them.
“[The seatbelts] can be [fitted] by sliding the yellow clip down,” Mr. Janes said. “[And] yes, all vehicles in Wyoming with seat belts must be worn by passengers.”
The PHS boys’ swim team were the first to try out the new set of wheels on their way to a meet.
“The seatbelts were annoying,” junior Ben Hawley said. “The seats were at almost a 90-degree angle. It just made it impossible to be comfortable or sleep.”
The school district also purchased a new activity bus to replace the one destroyed in the fire.
“The one new activity bus we received also has chains that can be deployed if we run into very icy roads,” Mr. Janes said.