Dexter Community Schools is Buying some New Equipment and Vehicles

By Lonnie Huhman

The Dexter Community Schools (DCS) Board of Education recently approved a set of purchases, including a new Scoreboard and Sound System for Al Ritt Stadium.

At its Jan. 27 meeting, the school board was presented with a number of recommendations made by DCS Principal for Operations Craig McCalla. All were approved unanimously.

The first one allocated $53,854 from the Committed Fund Balance – Facilities, Equipment, and Maintenance – for the purchase of a 2025 Chevrolet 2500HD Silverado. McCalla said the Building and Grounds trucks are in need of staggered replacement. He said the trucks are nearly 20 years old and essential for district operations. The new Silverado will be used for plowing, salting, and general hauling around the district.

The next purchase was one Live Video and Scoreboard Display from Daktronics, including installation, electrical drawings, running additional power, and a 15% contingency, for a total amount not to exceed $469,945.20. McCalla said the current Al Ritt Scoreboard “is nearing its end of life and replacement parts are not readily available”

The funding will come from 2017 bond monies, which included updates to scoreboards. The Live Video & Scoreboard Display will be 18’5” H x 32’11” W x 0’11” D.

The biggest purchase approved were the four buses at an amount not to exceed $679,996. This will also be covered by 2017 bond funding. McCalla said updating the bus fleet is also a need that will be staggered as well. The recommendation is to purchase two Special Education buses with wheelchair lifts, and two 77-passnger buses with luggage racks.

McCalla said the district has an increasing number of students who require transportation on these specialized units.

“At this time, both of our current Special Education buses have higher mileage, and the ability to have a spare specialized bus available in the case of a breakdown would be extraordinarily helpful,” said McCalla. “The athletic and music departments benefit from the luggage rack buses, as they request these often for their larger equipment. Our current luggage rack buses are at a stage where we prefer not to send them on any long-distance journeys.”

And finally for the buildings and grounds department, the board approved purchases of a Bobcat Skid Steer Loader and a John Deere Gator, costing $52,988 and $15,909.