Florence Unified School District No. 1
Mark Lamas
Director of Transportation and Support Services
October 2014
__________________________________________________________________________
DIRECTOR’S SUMMARY
TRANSPORTATION HIGHLIGHTS:
Fall Bus Evacuation Drills:
With the continued support of our site administration and great faculty participation, we have
successfully completed our required fall school bus evacuation drills throughout our district. They
were timely, organized, and effective to meeting the goals and standards of the Arizona
Department of Public Safety Student Transportation. As always, we appreciate the support and
the participation.
National School Bus Safety Week:
National School Bus Safety Week will be celebrated all across the nation during the week of
October 20-22, 2014. Thank you to all of our very valuable student transporters for putting the
safety of our students first.
DPS Inspections:
Mechanics have been thoroughly checking each bus to ready them for the annual school bus
inspections. DPS will be arriving at the Florence Bus Barn on September 29th and 30th to inspect
buses. DPS Minimum Standards for School Buses and School Bus Drivers require that school buses
be inspected annually for safety. Our record has been flawless the past three years and
mechanics are anticipating another perfect inspection. Perfect inspections represent no major
failures on the bus such as lights, brakes, frame, etc. DPS inspects everything on the bus from the
driver’s seat, dash, and crawling under the bus to look at brakes and other parts that may be
worn over time. Our mechanics take great pride in our school buses and it is vital to them that
the inspections run smoothly. They ensure that each bus is running efficiently... all accomplished
by only four mechanics who are able to take care of more than 150 pieces of equipment; 90
pieces being buses. Kudo’s to our mechanics!!!
FACILITIES HIGHLIGHTS:
Custodial and Maintenance staff attended a 2-hour ‘refresher’ course on asbestos awareness.
This mandatory class covered what asbestos is, what asbestos is made from, how to work with it
and what to do if you are not sure if you encounter a material you think may contain asbestos.
The course is presented each year to staff by the school’s asbestos consultant, as required by
the State of Arizona.
Schools were inspected for rain issues after the monsoon storms that occurred. Pinal County
Public Works assisted in helping remove water from the roadway in front of Poston Butte. With
Board of Education
Jim Thomas, President
Denise Guenther, Vice-President
Rose Marie M. Monks, Member
Bob Dailey, Member
Janeane Candelaria, Member
the help of county maintenance workers, our Transportation Department was kept abreast of
roads that were closed or problematic. Their communication with the district made it possible
for our students and staff to travel the roads safely.
Grounds work at the Florence High School new practice field is on-going. Equipment was
brought in to clear trees, shrubs, and move dirt. The Poston Butte gym roof replacement has
been completed. Asphalt repairs and sealant as well as concreted repairs are underway at
Florence High School, Anthem, Copper Basin, Florence K8 and the Florence Bus Barn. This will
help preserve the asphalt for a few more years.
The goal post project has been postponed as the uprights sent were college level; not high
school. Installation will be after football season and before soccer season. Grounds work is
ongoing.
There were 931 work orders completed this month; 97 new requests and 28 work-in-progress.
Mark Lamas
Director of Transportation and Support Services
Board of Education
Jim Thomas, President
Denise Guenther, Vice-President
Rose Marie M. Monks, Member
Bob Dailey, Member
Janeane Candelaria, Member