By ROBERT LINNEHAN
With two elementary schools already scheduled to receive solar systems for next year, the Evesham K-8 BOE is looking to increase its “green” initiatives even further to help cut on costs.
Business Administrator Dennis Nettleton revealed last week that the school district is in serious considerations to possibly obtain a biodiesel fuel tank for the district’s bus garage. The thank would be above ground, more safe, and more green than what is currently being offered to the district, he said.
The tank would allow the district to also recycle oil for its fleet of school buses, Nettleton revealed.
The tank would be better for the environment and drastically cut down on fuel costs. The bottom line for the tank would mean a possible 15 percent decrease in fuel costs each year for Evesham.
“It would be above ground and at the bus garage, it could be very positive for the school district,” he said.
In other transportation news the district will be consider a shared service proposal with the Evesham Township Municipal Utilities Authority for the purchase of gasoline from their fuel depot. The rate — which has not been made public yet — could be significantly less than what the district already pays in fuel prices, Nettleton said.
The district will also be investing in a complete strategic review of all bus routes in the district to look at possible consolidation. The less stops and miles traveled by a bus each day means savings in fuel cost and maintenance for the district.
“We need to look at every single one of our bus routes in the next year, we need to do this,” Nettleton said.
Finally, it’s not a complete impossibility that the district may even consider outsourcing their bus services in the next few years. Many of the buses in the district are going to be up for replacement in a few years, so it may be financially prudent for the district to see if it could save money with an outsourcing initiative.
