For months, officials with the Trigg County Board of Education have been in meetings with leadership from Pennyrile Electric, the Tennessee Valley Authority and related entities — gathering all information necessary about whether or not an electric bus grant should be accepted, courtesy of the Clean School Bus Program for the Environmental Protection Agency.
Facts and figures collected, Thursday night closed with unanimous approval not only for the purchase of five such vehicles, but also the charging implements necessary to make them feasible.
According to board members, Superintendent Bill Thorpe and Chief Finance Officer Holly Greene, total cost to the district should come out to $200,000 or less — essentially five busses and the power supply, for the cost of one brand new diesel-deck now.
Thorpe said while the bus grant is coming from the EPA, TVA has pledged $100,000 — and likely more — for the charging house, in order to help this effort succeed.
Greene said with the two prongs of the grants, nearly $2 million from the EPA along with TVA’s help, Trigg County will be able to afford extra implements on the vehicles, including radios, provisional cameras, adjustable pedals, extra cargo bays and more.
Furthermore, she pointed out that the purchase of vehicles through these grants will help alleviate the usage of ESSER funds, which can now be positioned elsewhere.
Looking to deal with Thomas Built, the busses come with a 12-year warranty — perfect for the 14-year service window. Thorpe, through a letter from Director of Transportation Erin Eagleson, said these busses “hold better charges.”
The lone drawbacks, Greene said, are no air conditioning, and the fact that they are 72-passenger capacity instead of 86.
Greene said the district had to make a decision by August 15, or it would’ve had to forfeit the grant.
As previously reported, this grant does require Trigg County Schools to decommission five diesel-engine busses by drilling through the engine blocks, but Greene, Thorpe and Director of Operations Matt Ladd all confirmed these will be end-of-life vehicles — vehicles that, aside for parts, would be unattractive on the resale market.
D C Electric, Inc., out of Marshall County, was awarded the bid for the charging station construction, at a cost of $156,500.
Thorpe, Greene and Ladd also noted Pennyrile has been more than effective in this partnership.
Ladd and Greene indicated the busses “won’t require extra work on staff,” and the busses will likely charge during lower-demand times for the electric grid.
