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2016 Capital Improvement Project

About The Project

Our District maintains a fleet of more than 100 school buses that travel approximately one million miles per year on area roads. Our existing facility, built more than 50 years ago, has become undersized and under-equipped as a base to provide vehicle maintenance services. The renovations associated with the new Transportation Center provide critical improvements that will allow Fairport to meet changing, enhanced industry standards and safety requirements while also accommodating increased bus sizes and mileage. Approved by voters in a district-wide referendum in 2016, the new facility will be built on the same parcel that has been occupied since the 1960s.

The District understands that project construction has created some concerns for certain neighbors in the area near the facility. Once construction is completed in the fall of 2019 and new landscaping is installed, we believe these concerns will be mitigated. Under New York State Education Department (NYSED) approved project plans and longstanding District policy, we will install practical measures to address potential impacts including those from noise and light. We will also continue to examine ways of supplementing those measures—as long as doing so will not compromise the safety and security measures that must be installed. Our goal from the outset of the project has always been a facility that helps us provide safe and reliable transportation for students while staying within the parameters of the plan approved by District voters. We’re well on the way to creating a Transportation Facility that will make you Red Raider Proud.

 

 

 

A project timeline visually outlines key dates and milestones.

Transportation Center Building

  • The centerpiece of the Transportation Center is a new, more efficient building for servicing and maintaining the District’s 100+ buses.
  • This new building replaces a 50-year-old garage that is too small and under-equipped for the current demands of public school transportation.
  • The new Transportation Center will provide a more efficient site and resources for District personnel to keep buses and other vehicles in service and safe for the road.

Things You Should Know

 

  • The new two-story Transportation Center encompasses some 20,000 square feet of space to accommodate offices, meeting space, maintenance bays and a wash bay.

  • The District opted for a two-story structure to limit the building’s footprint on the property.

  • The maintenance bays include in-ground and surface-mounted lifts for vehicle service and safety checks.

  • The new building and other elements of the project will address deficiencies and areas of non-compliance noted by the State of New York in successive building standard reviews.

  • Deficiencies include obsolete and crowded maintenance bays and material storage areas, and challenges with storm drainage and sanitary sewers.

Our Bus Fleet

 

  • Fairport provides daily transportation for approximately 5,700 students. We achieve this with a fleet of more than 100 buses and other vehicles.
  • The Transportation Center serves as home base for these vehicles and operations associated with keeping them running safely and efficiently, including fuel and maintenance.
  • About 120 people, drivers included, access this facility on a daily basis.

Things You Should Know

  • Today’s buses are larger and more technologically advanced than when our Transportation Center was first constructed.

  • The existing facility is no longer up to the task of efficiently maintaining the vehicles that serve the District.

  • Our technicians can now close the bay doors while servicing our buses and performing safety checks. This wasn’t possible with the old facility.

  • In accordance with approved plans, a landscaped buffer area will be installed in part to limit potential noise impacts and reduce light splash.

  • Based on feedback from the community, the District reduced the number of bus parking spots from 108 to 104.

  • We’ve also reduced the original design width of bus parking spots from 13 feet to 12 feet.

Fueling Stations

  • Like many aspects of the 50-year-old site, the fueling system at our Transportation Center was showing its age.
  • We’ve made a number of important improvements to enhance safety and make operations more efficient going forward. The District installed new underground fuel storage to replace aging tanks that were no longer sufficient for our needs.
  • The newly redesigned and updated fueling area is designed to get buses in and out quickly and safely, while seeking to minimize noise and odor impacts to nearby areas.

Things You Should Know

 

  • The new underground fuel storage holds 20,000 gallons of fuel.

  • The fueling station serves more than just Fairport schools. The District has an agreement with the following organizations to use the fueling station: Village of Fairport, Town of Perinton, Fairport, Egypt and Bushnell’s Basin Fire Departments, Fairport Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and Perinton Ambulance.

  • We installed new fuel pumps and added a canopy to increase the overall operational safety and protect drivers from inclement weather.

  • Based on neighborhood feedback, the District opted to move the fuel area several feet closer to Ayrault Road.

Site Plan

  • The Transportation Center project allowed us to make other changes aimed at making the property function more efficiently.
  • For example, we will move the fence line on the northern end of the property a little further north to create space for necessary snow removal. This move also gives the town easier access to a manhole for regular sewer maintenance.
  • As the project progresses, we will be installing a new fence as well as new landscape features, including foliage and trees, to serve as a buffer between site operations and nearby properties. 
  • We recognize and acknowledge that the removal of trees and foliage has been a matter of concern for those living in the nearby neighborhood.
  • The District is committed to supplementing proposed measures to mitigate potential impacts from noise and light, where feasible, and in accordance with safety requirements. Please note that as with many projects, installing final landscaping features will likely be one of the final stages of work on the Transportation Center.

Things You Should Know

  • The boundaries of the property will remain where they have been since the 1960s. Neither construction nor operation of the facility will expand beyond this area.

  • For construction efficiency, the pre-existing fence on the property was taken down early in the project. Various branches, shrubs and other landscaping had become entangled in the fence, which required their removal.

  • A new galvanized metal chain-link fence will be installed at the end of the project and will enclose the entire bus fleet.

  • Approved project plans call for re-installation of various landscaping measures at the end of the project, with the final configuration to be determined later as final design is completed and implemented.

Noise, Lighting, and Safety

  • The Transportation Center is and has always been a busy place, with more than 100 people reporting there for work each day. As part of the project the District has installed new LED lighting poles. 
  • We continue to evaluate this new lighting and examine practical measures through technology to limit potential for impact on surrounding properties. Please keep in mind that adequate lighting is critical for safety and security.
  • As with any construction project, there has been some additional noise, but any such increase from construction is temporary.
  • Over the long term, we believe once the project is completed and the mitigation measures are installed, undue noise and light impacts will not be a concern.

Things You Should Know

  • Exterior lighting is needed to illuminate the lot as employees and visitors walk to and from their cars.  

  • The District continues to evaluate the lighting as it relates to site safety and security and balancing that with light splash concerns. 

  • Enhanced lighting technology  is being used to reduce light levels during evening hours.

  • As to noise, the district engaged a professional acoustics and noise control consulting firm to review the project during design.

  • On the firm’s recommendation, we have incorporated noise-reducing ceiling panels in the garage area, lessening noise created by vehicle maintenance.

Transportation FAQ

  • Today’s transportation industry has higher standards, more safety requirements, and larger fleets of buses. They’re also used more often – estimates are that buses travel 1,500 miles more per day than in the 1970s. Our existing transportation building, built in 1968, is no longer able to keep up with these new requirements, as determined by the New York State Education Department. Building deficiencies were identified during Building Condition Surveys in 2005, 2010, and 2015. If not corrected, these deficiencies heighten the risk of building damage and deterioration.

  • The Building Condition Surveys noted challenges in the size and configuration of maintenance bays; materials/storage space; site fencing and security; parking and traffic flow; storm drainage; and toilet facilities. The Transportation Center project addresses each of those in turn with a modernized facility, equipment and site plan.

  • Voters approved the project in a referendum in May 2016 that was part of the District’s annual budget vote.

  • The vote for a new Transportation Center ran on the ballot with the School Budget as a separate proposition on May 17, 2016. To explain the project, we held public meetings throughout spring 2016, including a public information session on May 3, 2016 at Fairport High School. We also offered community tours of the existing facility on April 25, May 9 and May 11, 2016. We shared information on the District’s website and provided direct contact information for our Superintendent. We also held meetings with neighborhood associations from communities near the project site as requested.

  • We set out with three goals in mind: (1) to ensure safe and reliable transportation for students, staff, and visitors; (2) to meet the operational needs of transportation staff; and (3) to avoid additional local tax impact. We’re accomplishing all three. The new Transportation Center will satisfy current building codes and achieve energy efficiencies while addressing issues related to security and site fencing, parking and traffic flow, storm drainage, maintenance bay and storage space, toilet facilities and interior space.

  • The main component is a new, two-story, 21,000 square-foot transportation/maintenance building, which includes offices, maintenance bays, a wash bay, in-ground lifts, and related equipment to address the needs of the District’s vehicles.

  • More than 120 people work in the transportation center daily. Because the original building was over 50 years old, it could not accommodate modern maintenance operations for the District’s bus fleet. The project was necessary to provide a safe and comfortable work environment that would allow our people to do what they do best. The initial plan called for a larger single-story building on a larger footprint. The District revised the plan and instead built a two-story building requiring a smaller footprint, so as to reconfigure internal site traffic and mitigate impacts to neighboring properties.

     

     

  • The District operates about 100 buses.

  • We’ve reduced the number of parking spaces for cars from 154 to 132 and reduced bus parking from 118 spaces to 114. We’ve also narrowed the width of bus parking spaces by one foot. Additionally, in response to concerns, the District removed one operable bay door to accommodate car parking, moved the fuel island seven feet closer to Ayrault Road and reduced green space within property limits. The District also installed noise-reducing ceiling panels in the bus garage to help control noise.

  • The project budget is $11.2 million.

  • The building is paid for through a combination of state building aid and Fairport capital reserves. Funding for the project will have no additional local tax impact.

  • We installed new gas pumps and new underground fuel storage to replace existing underground tanks. We’ve covered the pumps with a safety canopy that will protect drivers and others from, among other things, inclement weather. The canopy includes a fire suppression system. 

  • The boundaries of the site are not changing. As part of the project, we’ve created a new parking area, and new lighting and plan for new landscaping and fencing. We put the highest priority on creating a new facility that was as safe and secure as possible.

  • The fence line onsite needed to be moved to provide sufficient area for snow staging and removal as well as to allow the town access to a sewer manhole for maintenance of the sanitary sewer system. Foliage and trees in the area had grown into and around the existing fence line at the north and west ends of the property. Therefore, moving the fence also required us to remove some of the trees and shrubbery.

  • We know that the removal of trees and foliage has been a matter of concern for those living in the nearby neighborhood. Our plan includes installation of new landscaping features around the property. We’re continuing to evaluate the best options. As with any construction project, this will be one of the final components of the new Transportation Center. As well, we have also been advised that the best time for planting new trees, to give them the best chance of survival, is the fall. The District is committed to supplementing proposed measures to mitigate potential impacts from noise and light, where feasible, and in accordance with safety requirements. 

  • As part of the project the District has installed new, more efficient LED lighting poles. This illumination is vital for safety and security of both visitors and the entire property. Some neighbors have expressed concerns that light from these poles would cause undue light splash onto their properties. We appreciate those concerns and believe that once the project is completed and the planned mitigation measures are installed, such concerns will be alleviated. Further, we continue to evaluate supplemental measures that may be added as appropriate and feasible. We’re already utilizing technology that reduces light levels during evening hours.

  • It will be a galvanized metal chain-link fence and will enclose and secure the bus parking area for safety purposes, reducing the chances of vandalism or other misconduct.

  • After consulting with noise control experts, we have incorporated noise-reducing ceiling panels into the garage area. We are also employing lighting fixtures that are designed to avoid undue light splash at night.

  • We anticipate completing work in the Fall of 2019.

Transportation Project Updates

September 2019 Updates for Transportation facility

Sep 20, 2019

The Transportation Center has been completed and is fully operational, however September brings more updates to the facility.

These items include:

  • The fencing, automated gates, radiant heat sidewalks, staff and bus parking lot areas have been installed and are in use by the district.

  • The fuel island is fully operational.

  • Minor parking lot punch out work is ongoing and will be completed by the end of September.

  • The General Trades contractor has completed the installation of all exterior components.  Minor punch out work is ongoing and will be completed by the end of September.

  • Landscaping is being finalized.

 

Building is Occupied and Fully Operational

Aug 1, 2019

The new Transportation Building has been occupied by the District and is fully operational! Top-coating, striping and parking space numbering has been completed at the north side of the parking area, allowing busses to return on-site, and the remaining paving work continues toward August completion. Additional radiant heating will also be added under the west sidewalk to help manage ice and snow during the winter months. The fuel island fire suppression system has been tested and the final components of the electrical system are being installed.

The demolition and removal of the former transportation facility are also complete. Upon its removal, the area was excavated to remove unsuitable soils and replaced with engineered stone to support the new parking area. Two underground old oil tanks and an oil separator that were no longer in use were also unearthed and fully removed. Under the supervision of an environmental engineer and the DEC, the removal site was reviewed and remediated for contaminants, and then filled with engineered stone in preparation for the new asphalt parking area. All work is on schedule for completion at the end of this month!

 

Project Enters Homestretch

Jul 1, 2019

BOCES has inspected and approved the new building, allowing the architect to proceed with the process of obtaining a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO). This will enable the District to occupy the new Transportation Building in early June.

Inside the new building, work on the boilers, air handlers, elevator, and bus lifts has all been completed, with all now activated and fully operational. The facility training and turnover process is underway.

Outside the new building, the curbing and sidewalks have been completed, along with the under-slab radiant heating. The perimeter fencing pole installation has started, with the fabric to follow.

The next step will be for contractors to begin the decommissioning and removal of the existing transportation facility. All work is on schedule for completion in August.

 

 

Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Work Continue to Progress

May 1, 2019

Outdoors, the curbing and sidewalks are currently being installed around the new building, along with the under-slab radiant heating. Installation of the oil separator and retention pond have also been completed. Nearly all exterior components have been fully installed on the new building at this point, with only soffits and fascia on the building’s west side remaining. These will be applied after removal of the existing building, when there will be adequate space for the contractors to perform the west façade work. Inside the new building, interior finish work has been completed on both the first and second levels. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work continues to progress on schedule. The boilers and air handling unit are up and running, and the elevator installation is nearly complete — the elevator itself has been installed, and programming is currently underway. Both the bus wash equipment and fire alarm system are also complete and on track for testing later this month. As the new building nears substantial completion, “punch list” items are being identified and addressed to allow for building access in late May. The demolition plan for the old facility, along with the remaining exterior and site work that will follow, are currently being finalized to allow for final project completion in August.

 

 

Interior and Exterior Taking Shape

Apr 1, 2019

The general trades contractor has completed installation of the roof and siding panels, stone façade, interior liner panels, overhead doors and windows. 

The soffits, fascias and detail work continue to make progress. Inside the building, interior finish work also continues, with painting, ceiling grid and ceramic tile work all underway. 

Work on the second stair tower installation has begun, along with the elevator installation work. The mechanical, electrical, and plumbing contractors are installing rough-in work on both the first and second levels. 

Ductwork installation is also moving along throughout the facility. Fire sprinkler system is also nearly complete.

 

Weather Tight Overhead Doors Installed

Feb 1, 2019

While the winter weather runs its course outside, the new Transportation Facility — now weather tight with overhead doors — is making significant progress inside:

 

Inside the building, all drywall installation is complete on both levels, and painting is underway. One of the two stair towers has been installed; the second stair tower will go in later this month, with the elevator assembly to follow. On the lower level, the heating plant, air recovery system and gas lines have been installed in the mechanical room, and the bus wash equipment is on track for installation later this month. On the upper level, the bus drivers’ room is nearing completion, bathrooms are being tiled, and soffits are being constructed in preparation for lockers. Throughout the building’s interior, the sprinkler and mechanical systems are being installed, and electrical, plumbing, and finish work continues.

 

Outside the building, roof panel installation is complete, with soffit and fascia detailing now underway. On the east and west sides of the building, the remaining exterior wall panels are going up, along with masonry sills. Exterior site work is on pause for now and will begin again in late spring as the new building nears completion.

 

 

Progress Being Made on Building Facade

Jan 1, 2019

The fuel island and canopy work is now complete, with testing planned for spring. In addition to the roofing panels, the exterior siding panels, stone facade and interior liner panels are now complete. The overhead doors and windows are currently being installed, and the gutters have been installed and tied into the new storm water system.

Work inside continues to develop as interior finish work continues. All of the interior radiant heat loops, trench drains and concrete slabs are in place, and stair tower installation has also begun. The metal stud work and drywall finish is now 95% complete, and most of the area is primed and ready for painting. Tile work has commenced in the upper restrooms.

The mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors are continually installing roughing-in work on the first and second floor levels. The boilers and air handling units have been installed, and duct work installation is ongoing throughout the facility. In addition, the fire suppression system is currently 85% complete and mechanical finishes are currently being installed.

 

 

The Building is Now Encapsulated

Dec 1, 2018

Despite a rash of rainy weather, work continues both inside and outside the new building. The fuel island canopy is currently being installed, the roof panel installations are complete, and the siding panels are currently going up. The building is now encapsulated. Temporary heat has been installed and activated, and the bus warmer electrical panel and outlets are fully installed and operational. The decorative stone facade work also continues to make progress.

Both the mechanical and main mezzanines have been installed; the concrete for the main mezzanine has been installed which has opened up work for all trades. Fire caulking, insulation, metal stud and drywall is being installed on both the first and second floor levels. The mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors are also continuing their work on the first and second floor levels.

 

 

Exterior Stonework Continues

Nov 1, 2018

Work on the bus warmer continues with the electrical panel and outlets now going in. The building’s concrete block work is now complete, and the decorative stone façade work continues to take shape. Most of the building’s steel frame has been installed, with only the second portion of the mezzanine remaining. The steel detailing, exterior metal skin, and roof panel work are currently in progress, as is metal stud work. Inside, drywall is now being installed on interior walls as those spaces are available.

 

 

Detail and Roof Work Have Begun

Oct 1, 2018

The new Transportation Building is taking shape —the steel frame has been installed, and the detail work and roof panel work has commenced. The concrete block work is continuing to make progress with the installation of interior and exterior walls, and the decorative stone facade work has also begun. The bus wash trench drains and under-slab bus lift equipment are currently being installed. Equipment is being set for mechanical contractor installations, and plumbing work continues to make progress with all water feed piping nearly completed on the first-floor level.

 

 

Parking Area is Complete

Sep 1, 2018

The parking area has now been completed up to the asphalt binder course — the final top coat will be installed when the project is near completion and heavy construction traffic/equipment is no longer on site. The bus parking area has been striped and is currently in use by the District. The new site lighting and bus warmers have also been installed, and work on the fuel island continues.

The concrete block work for the new building continues with the installation of the stair towers, elevator shaft and bus wash area bearing walls. The metal building steel frame is currently being erected with detailing to follow.