Batavia schools unveil new maintenance building
An earlier version incorrectly identified a district official. The man quoted and featured in a photo is Pat Browne, the district's buildings-and-grounds director.
The Batavia school district's new maintenance headquarters is in a 56-year-old building, so decorating it with a piece of art tied to history seems apropos.
While clearing out the old maintenance building, school district workers found a section of the gymnasium floor at the long-gone old Batavia Junior High School, which was Batavia High School before that. Artwork painted on it in 1975 depicts the Bulldog logo, and boys playing basketball.
It will hang in the office portion of the new facility, at 804 W. Main St.
The district is leasing-to-own the former VandeVenter Manufacturing (also called Van Dee Manufacturing) building. It is paying $144,000 rent a year for 10 years, with an option to buy the building for $10 at the end of the lease.
It hasn't finished moving in to the remodeled space, and there are a few things left to do, such as outfitting an employee locker room.
But the garage portion is ready to go, complete with a new truck lift, something the district didn't have in the old facility at Batavia High School. The garage is big enough to park all the district's maintenance vehicles inside. Seasonal equipment such as lawn mowers and plow blades can be stored inside also, when not in use. And there is a separate wash bay with walls and floor drains for removing salt, mud and other crud from vehicles.
The new facility also has a humidity-controlled warehouse for storing supplies, including paper and de-icer. Pat Browne, the district's buildings-and-grounds director, has said the district will be able to save money because it can get discounts for larger bulk purchases, now that it has room to store them.
"This will serve us well for many years to come," Browne said.
The district's purchase of the building drew some criticism, though. Critics said the former facility, a 47-year-old converted pole-building bus barn, was adequate, even though Batavia fire officials said it needed upgrades to meet health and safety laws. The district estimated the work would cost $135,000.
They also took issue because Ron Link, a former 12-year member of the school board who stepped down in 2013, co-owns of VandeVenter. Link said in a 2014 Daily Herald article that the school district approached him about the building.