New activity bus arrives at NR-S

After a two-year wait, the New Rockford-Sheyenne School District finally has a new activity bus.

As it became clear the district's old "Rocket Bus" was becoming increasingly unreliable and far too costly to continue repairing, the NR-S school board decided to purchase a new activity bus in October of 2022, at a cost of $197,700.

Now, more than two years and several delays later, that vehicle arrived in New Rockford on Friday, Dec. 13.

The bus is a 2025 Thomas HDX Saf-T-Liner, with a rear engine and seating for up to 44 passengers. It has plenty of underneath and interior storage, as well as standard bus safety features such as interior and exterior cameras.

The school board purchased the bus after receiving approval for a grant that covers 50 percent of the vehicles' cost – just under $100,000. As a condition of the grant, the old Rocket Bus it replaced had to be disabled.

Upon its arrival, Mike Schaefer and Eric Perleberg of the district's transportation committee went through the bus and looked it over, as did a number of other NR-S employees.

The new bus should serve the district and its athletes well, especially as students at the school begin their winter sports' seasons.

Meanwhile, the district doesn't yet have a home for the new activity bus.

A new "bus barn" scheduled to be completed before the school year is behind schedule, leaving the district without a place to shelter their buses during the winter.

The 72-by-60 foot structure is being built at the corner of Central Avenue and 5th Street South in an empty lot most recently used as a school parking lot. The cost of the project is approximately $240,000.

They'll be hoping its completion as soon as possible will significantly improve the overall well-being and longevity of the district's transportation.