The proposed transportation hub would accommodate 31 bus routes, reducing bus travel by 225,000 miles per year, said Jim Disler, LISD executive director of capital improvements. Existing warehouses would be renovated for use by maintenance and technician staff. Preliminary plans include 50 bus parking spaces and additional spots for employees.

Disler said the district’s only bus barn in Cedar Park is overcrowded and inadequate.

“It’s going to relieve that facility and provide room for expansion and future growth,” he said.

District estimates indicate the project could cost just over $3 million, more than five times the $580,000 allocated for the facility in the 2007 bond proposal. But Disler said the original estimates did not include basic amenities like restrooms, HVAC units or the 25 additional parking spaces recommended by district administration. The new proposal reflects those adjustments.

“I think the coverage in the original proposal is different than what we are talking about now, which isn’t necessarily wrong, but I want to make sure we are making a conscious decision to make that change,” Trustee Aaron Johnson said. “I think the other thing, too, is it appears that the original plan, frankly, underestimated the cost. So that being the case, there’s not a lot we can do about that in hindsight.”

Johnson recommended omitting the estimated $3 million price from the motion since plans for the satellite transportation facility are still in the preliminary stages.

“What we didn’t do from an accounting perspective was move money over for anticipated future use for this project. I think we’ve got some work to do still. I want to make sure that work takes time and involves the community, and I think in delaying the approval of any additional funds, we’ve accomplished that,” Johnson said. “I just want to delay that until we absolutely decide this is what we want to do, and we want to do it now. Otherwise, those funds could be used for other important projects right now.”

Administrators and school board members said the district is far from turning dirt since the site is in the City of Austin’s jurisdiction, and Austin must approve changes to the environmentally sensitive site. At the meeting, the board requested Disler and staff continue researching the feasibility of the Grandview Hills location without ruling out alternative plots.

Due diligence research on the site includes, in part, considering environmental impact. Jim Smitherman, president of The Parke HOA which is adjacent to the property, told the board he is concerned an Austin-LISD interlocal agreement to build the transportation facility on that site would compromise an already environmentally sensitive area.

“The information we are getting from the City of Austin is much different than what the district has indicated,” Smitherman said. “Significant reservations about the scope have been raised. This project does not meet current development standards.”

Smitherman said since the facility is not an educational institution, it should not be allowed to trump impervious coverage standards. He said LISD should not even consider a $3 million satellite transportation hub during these lean economic times.

Student health and safety is also a concern, Smitherman said. The construction proposal includes plans to bury a diesel fuel storage tank, which buses would draw from at the on-site fueling station.

“Look at the safety. The concentration of the diesel buses and their fumes—we just don’t know what kind of impact it will have on an elementary school,” he said. “And it’s not safe having those refueling tanker trucks coming onto the elementary campus several times a month.”

Disler presented the board with a few other more costly and inconvenient alternatives, including fueling at local gas stations and parking the buses in the Home Depot parking lot. He said pursuing the Grandview Hills location does not eliminate the potential for alternatives.

“I consider the next step still investigative because you’ve got to go into the city and address concerns and impacts. Hopefully we can get through that process and get to what the issue would be,” Disler said. “I hope we can continue to talk work together with the community.”