PRINCE GEORGE - Add to the list of Hurricane Irene's casualties one of the newest, biggest buses in the Prince George County Public Schools fleet.
School Superintendent Dr. Bobby R. Browder told the Board of Supervisors this week that in addition to causing the loss of about $400 worth of food and some roof leaks at North Elementary School and elsewhere, the storm dropped "a huge oak tree" on one of the school district's buses.
To add insult to injury, the bus was a barely used 77-passenger 2011 model that had cost about $95,000. On the bright side, however, Browder said he expects insurance to cover about 95 percent of the loss.
Browder detailed the school system's losses to the storm in asking supervisors to approve the carryover of about $103,000 in unspent funds from the 2010-11 fiscal, which ended in June. Those funds would be spent on repairs to water-damaged buildings and to help fund purchase of a replacement bus.
Supervisors expressed support for the request, but a formal vote was postponed until the board's next meeting on Sept. 27 to allow for auditors to calculate an exact figure for the unspent funds.
In the meantime, supervisors commended school officials for their handling of the decision to delay the start of the school year by a week because of the damage Irene caused not only to the schools but across the county.
Browder noted that as the scheduled opening day approached, "There was only one school operational with full power, and it was being used as a shelter." The School Board's offices were out of power for most of the week following the storm, as was most of the county's courthouse complex, he noted.
Considering that some roads in the county were impassible and many students' families had no hot water for washing clothes or bathing, "We thought it best to wait," Browder said.
Supervisors especially commended school officials for making the decision well ahead of the scheduled opening and thus allowing plenty of time to communicate the news to parents. As a result, officials agreed, the first day of school ultimately went very smoothly.
Board members also commended county staff, police, emergency responders and volunteers for their work during and after Irene.
"Over the last couple of weeks, Prince George County has had some very trying times," said District 2 Supervisor William A. Robertson Jr. "First Irene tried to blow all our trees down. Then Lee, chasing her, I guess, tried to drown us."
Robertson led the rest of the board in offering commendations to county employees and volunteers, who he said "did an excellent job."
The board also presented a pair of awards at its meeting Tuesday to county employees and community members for their work on the landscaping for the recently opened Prince George County Library. Diane Cook, county erosion and sediment control inspector, received the You Are the One Award for designing the landscaping and helping the county save about $26,000 on the project. A committee of county employees and citizen volunteers received the Together We Can award for its work in obtaining donated gardening supplies and other items for the project and helping organize and complete the landscaping work.
The board also approved resolutions of commendation for former county police Officer Dale R. Heflin, who recently retired after nearly 35 years in law enforcement, 27 of them in Prince George; and for Hermon Maclin, the county's 4-H extension agent, for his work in helping grow the youth-development organization's membership in the county from 230 when he arrived in 2003 to nearly 1,700 today.
- Michael Buettner may be reached at 804-722-5155 or mbuettner@progress-index.com.
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