Centennial Hills bus hub to save money, miles for school district

Work is under way on a 41,000-square-foot transportation facility planned at the southwest corner of Ann Road and the Las Vegas Beltway to be used by the Clark County School District.

Crews from Core Construction broke ground in May on the Northwest Satellite Transportation Facility, which includes a bus yard, a general office building, a maintenance bay, a fuel canopy and a bus-wash station in a 37-acre space . The project could have bus wheels in motion by August 2012, said Linda Perri, director of real property management for the school district.

The station would service only Clark County School District schools in Centennial Hills, she said.

Buses currently route from transportation stations in the central valley. The northwest station will save 2.4 million miles traveled by district buses each year and save $900,000 in labor hours, school district officials estimate.

Initially, 325-350 buses will be at the station but it will be equipped to host and service 500, said Frank Giordano, director of transportation.

All current stops and routes will be the same.

Funding for the project came from a 1998 bond fund . The city of Las Vegas owned the land, but the district had to receive parcel agreements with Clark County and the Bureau of Land Management to being construction.

To appease neighbors, the facility is seated on a lower grade, and about 8 acres of landscaping buffer is provided in plans, Perri said. Lower lighting also will aid cosmetic appeal, she said.

"We didn't want this beacon sitting on the hill," she said. "You're not going to see and hear anything because it's set back and down. It's going to be a really beautiful facility."

The district also is forming strategies for how buses will be dispatched from the facility. Perri said staggered departures are planned, and the buses will turn directly onto the Las Vegas Beltway so as not to congest Ann Road.

"We tried to take everything into consideration," Perri said. "We want to be part of the community and we want to work with the community. We don't to be a scourge to the area."

Some neighbors protested plans for the facility, but Perri said she hasn't heard from or spoken with disgruntled neighbors in about a year.

"Many people don't even know we're here," she said.

Perri welcomed any questions or concerns from the community.

To review plans for the project, visit ccsd.net/realproperty/resources.php. For more information, call 799-5214.

Contact Centennial and Paradise View reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@viewnews.com or 477-3839.