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Bemus Point Residents To Vote On Electric School Bus Purchase

BEMUS POINT — Following the receiving of a 2023 EPA rebate award, the Bemus Point Central School district is working to keep the local community informed as they move forward with their electric bus transition plan.

During a school board meeting this week, Superintendent Joseph Reyda presented the plan to those in attendance along with the help of Business Executive Holly Griffith. Reyda and Griffith have been actively pursuing any financial incentives the district is able to get to help with the required transition.

New York State has set the timeline for all schools to begin purchasing electric buses for 2027, with the requirement for all schools to have their entire fleet be made up of electric buses by 2035. The EPA award has allowed for Bemus Point to be able to get other financial incentives that they were not able to before.

When talking with The Post-Journal, Reyda said that receiving the grant was a surprise for the district, but now they have to let the EPA know that they are going to move forward with it by Nov 29.

“We are incredibly fortunate to get the EPA award,” Reyda said. “It was given out in a lottery system, so Bemus Point won the lottery. If we don’t move forward with the award now it goes away and so does all of the other incentives we are now able to get. I don’t want to leave that on the table and I want people to understand how important moving forward with this is.”

NO TAX IMPACT

Reyda added that the required deadlines are not going to go away, but additionally thanks to the other financial incentives the district’s transition plan comes at no cost to the community and has no tax impact.

Bemus Point has 20 buses overall that need to be replaced, and the EPA rebate will allow for the district to purchase two in addition to the regular diesel bus purchase next school year. The transition plan includes not only the purchase of the electric buses but also charging stations and utility and infrastructure updates.

Other incentives will come in the form of grants, rebates, tax incentives and vouchers. Reyda emphasized that Bemus Point does not qualify as a priority district, meaning they were not a priority to get any sort of grant or award for this project before, and that they were extremely lucky to get the EPA rebate.

The 2023 EPA Clean School Bus Rebate Award is a federal award that comes in the form of $400,000 all together, so $200,000 per bus. Other financial incentives the district is now able to get includes a NYSBIP Voucher, which allows for $147,000 per bus, a NYSBIP Rebate which gives $55,000 per charger, the Federal Tax Program which gives $40,000 per bus and to have National Grid cover 90% of costs to “future proof” the bus garage for the entire electric fleet. With all of these incentives, the purchasing of the buses will be tax neutral.

COMMUNITY VOTE SCHEDULED

In order to move forward, the district needs the community to vote to allow for a Bond Anticipation Note. The BAN allows for coverage of the local share of the project, which is a $236,000 project. The District Debt Service will be paid over twelve years, and the project is eligible for Transportation Aid of 57.10%. The Federal Tax Credit will be $80,000 to reduce the local share.

The projected cost overall is expected to be $1,040,000 to include two buses, two charging stations and other soft costs including legal, an architect, an engineer, and a financial advisor.

A community vote will be held on Sept 5, and in the remaining time before that Reyda said the district is working to inform the community of everything they will need to know to make an informed decision. This includes upcoming events focused on electric buses.

There will be an electric bus available for a tour and a walk through on July 24 at the Bemus Point bus garage. There will be several community presentations throughout August, including at places such as the Bemus Point Library, the Fluvanna Library, the Bemus Point Inn and the Village of Bemus Point, Town of Ellery. An electric school bus public hearing will be held at the school on Aug 27.

Reyda emphasized that the community should come out to these events to learn everything they can and to come vote in September.

“The fact that we were able to secure so many financial incentives and have no tax impact on the community is important for people to know,” Reyda said. “With this fleet replacement plan we are able to start the process and get in a good position down the road. Because we are starting now we have a lot of incentives given to us that we would not be given in any other situation. It is a rare opportunity for us and I don’t want us to miss out.”

Additionally, there will be many other meetings and opportunities for community members to talk with Reyda and Griffith about any questions or concerns.

“The district has been given a challenging proposition,” Reyda said. “It is not easy to make a plan to transition from diesel buses to electric but we are making a good start. Because of the federal rebate we can make this purchase at no cost to the community. These buses will be put to immediate use transporting our kids to and from school. This is a rare opportunity for us.”

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