Brockport school district residents will vote on a $5.3 million bus garage proposal on January 24. The proposal includes the purchase of approximately 110 acres of land on Redman Road and the construction of an eight-bay drive-through bus garage. The bus garage would feature a staff meeting room, offices and a lounge. Included in the cost are new furnishings, equipment and machinery. Enough parking is planned at the site to accommodate the entire 100-plus bus fleet.

Removing the bus garage facility from the center of the school’s campus has long been a goal of district administrators. "We have a tremendous safety problem with the way things are now," Superintendent James Fallon said. "This plan addresses that problem."

Some residents have spoken against the proposal, not because they believe the bus garage shouldn’t be moved, but because they say the cost of the land is too high. The district is offering the land owners $700,000 for the acreage. Fallon said the district has had two appraisals done on the property and both say that the offered price is at fair market value.

The proposal earmarks $350,000 for the renovation of the existing bus garage into a teacher training center. The centrally located building would also house the district’s receiving and storage operation.

Another $250,000 is slated to construct six new soccer fields and two baseball fields on the Redman Road property. The fields would be used by high school gym classes during the day (students will be bussed), according to Fallon. And he noted that the fields would be available to community youth sports groups for use after school hours. More athletic fields will likely be added in the future, Fallon said.

Voting will take place on January 24 between noon and 9 p.m. at both the A.D. Oliver Middle School gymnasium and the Barclay Elementary School.