The Brockport Central School district is asking residents to support a bus garage bond issue at a special election to be held on January 24. The bond vote had been delayed from late last summer because of a hold-up in state education department approvals.

The proposition would authorize the school district to purchase 110 acres of land on Redman Road (south of Fourth Section Road and adjacent to the Town of Sweden's new park) at an approximate cost of $700,000. Owners of the land are George Hage and Kevin Swartout.

Construction of a new bus garage is estimated to cost $5,300,000, which would include site improvements, the building itself, and furnishings, equipment and machinery. Bus garage plans feature an eight-bay facility with five lifts. The bays would be drive-through to eliminate the backing up of buses. The bus garage would also have a staff meeting room for training, offices and a lounge. The current bus garage has one fuel pump for the 100-plus bus fleet, the new garage would have several pumps.

The bond proposition contains $250,000 in funds to build six new soccer fields on the Redman Road property. It also contains $350,000 for reconstruction of the existing bus garage. The district would like to turn the old garage into a center for teacher training and a place to house the district's receiving and storage operation.

Superintendent James Fallon said moving the bus garage from the center of the campus is something administrators have long wanted to do. Some of the advantages of moving the bus garage include: reducing congestion on the campus, being able to park all the buses in one place instead of in several lots, and freeing up parking space at the Barclay and Ginther school for staff and parents.

Fallon also said the district is in need of more athletic fields, and while the bond issue would allow it to develop six to begin with, more would likely be added in the future.

Voting will take place January 24 between noon and 9 p.m. at both the A.D. Oliver Middle School gymnasium and the Barclay Elementary School. Absentee ballots are available by contacting the school district clerk.