The Timpanogos School District and the Aspen Peaks School District have finalized a joint transportation agreement to share maintenance facilities, parking infrastructure, and personnel for an upcoming fleet of roughly 80 buses, according to a August 21 report from the Lehi Free Press.
Under a Memorandum of Understanding, Timpanogos School District will lease space at the Aspen Peaks School District transportation facility. The arrangement is intended to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective services for the district's anticipated fleet.
The leased space will reportedly include at least 90 parking stalls and two-and-a-half maintenance shop bays. According to Tyler Vigue, Timpanogos School District Director of Communications, each district will receive a number of buses corresponding to their respective student populations.
The two districts will share five support personnel to provide maintenance and fleet services, which Vigue stated is intended to reduce redundancies. While there will be overlap in maintenance, Vigue noted there will be clear divisions within the space for parking the buses. Each district will maintain its own Transportation Director to administer its respective fleet.
The Timpanogos School Board approved a three-year lease payment plan. For the first two years, the district will provide its allocated vehicle parts inventory to cover lease costs. For the final year, the district will transfer ownership of a portable administrative office trailer that it will install at the site.
Tyler Vigue stated the three-year agreement could be renewed in the future. He noted that the collaboration aims to avoid unnecessary expenses and burdens on taxpayers, employees, and administrators during the reconfiguration of the school districts.
Superintendent Joe Jensen expressed gratitude to Aspen Peaks for accommodating the needs of Timpanogos and for the opportunity to continue their collaborative working relationship. Jensen stated the goal of the process was to maximize resources to support the core mission of helping students thrive.
