Gowanda delays action on electric buses
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GOWANDA -- Now that New York State has delayed its electric school bus mandate by five years, Gowanda Central School District is holding off on a pilot program to begin its transition.
The State delayed its requirement for 100% zero-emission bus purchases to 2032 and full fleet conversion to 2040, giving at least five more years before districts are required to phase out diesel buses. The original start date for the mandate was set to be this upcoming budget year of 2027.
With that in mind, Gowanda was planning to explore a pilot program this fall, in which the district would have sought approval to purchase the infrastructure to support a portion of its fleet transitioning to electric buses. Now that the mandate has been pushed back, Gowanda is no longer considering the pilot program at this time.
Board of Education President Max Graham said because the State pushed back its deadlines, "There's no reason to rush." He added that the district's routes are not sustainable by the electric buses currently on the market.
"In three or four years, it's worth having the conversation," Graham said. "It doesn't make sense, to me, to spend money on something that's inadequate. It's a very significant expense."
Superintendent Dr. Robert Anderson said that when the district asked voters back in May whether they would support electric buses, there was a significant portion of the public who would have objected.
"We'll put a pin in it for now. We'll see how the climate on electric buses changes over the next couple years and reevaluate it," Graham said.
Also of note, the cost of emergency repairs to the Gowanda Central School District following a hailstorm last spring is "a lot less" than what was initially feared, according to Business Administrator Barb Smith.
Smith said the extent of the work included in the district's hailstorm-related emergency repair project totals approximately $4 million to date in insurance claims. She noted that initial estimates for all the damage were much higher, in the range of $15-20 million.
"What could have been in the project is a lot less than what we thought it may have been," Smith said.
The emergency pool repair project remains on schedule, but no official reopening date has been set.