The Noblesville Schools’ Board of Trustees toured the site of the district’s new transportation center this morning. The new center is being constructed on Hague Road adjacent to West Middle School, replacing the current location on Field Drive, and is expected to open this October.
“Our current transportation center was built in 1978 when Noblesville Schools was a much smaller district and doesn’t provide the space we need today,” said Beth Niedermeyer, superintendent of Noblesville Schools. “The new facility will provide us appropriate space for our bus fleet, maintenance bays, office management, driver parking and storage.”
The Hague Road location was chosen because of its accessibility for bus routes and its infrastructure design. It is also a cost savings for the district because they already own the land.
The location next to West Middle School will also help address the parking shortage at that school, providing West event visitors additional parking options. The design was crafted with the community in mind, incorporating a maximum set-back off the road and landscaping buffers to address any sight or noise concerns from neighbors.
The $8.6 million project will be financed through construction bonds, with no increased tax burden for residents and no referendum dollars being spent on the project. It will expand space from the current center’s 4,000 square feet to almost 27,000 square feet.
The new facility initially kicked off in July 2016 with a public project and preliminary determination hearing. A video of the public hearing on the center can be found at www.noblesvilleschools.org under the school board tab.