Redstone Arsenal is getting out of the school bus business.
The change began this school year when Huntsville started transporting Redstone youngsters who attend Columbia and New Century high schools. The next phase will begin Jan. 5, after the Christmas break, when the city will start transporting students to J.E. Williams Middle School.
Next year, the city will transport students to J.E. Williams Elementary.
Durham School Services is contracted by Huntsville to provide school bus transportation.
"Dec. 19 is the last day of school this year for the Williams Middle School and that's when we will stop our service (to that school)," Ray Boles, motor pool operations contracting officer's representative for the Garrison Directorate of Logistics, said. "And Jan. 5 is when Durham will start their service (to Williams Middle)."
This will eliminate three Redstone buses that transport about 60 students to Williams Middle. "We've been told by Durham that their plan is to use two buses," Boles said. Parents of Williams Middle students who have questions about the route, time or pickup location can call Durham general manager Scott Gillies at 489-1025.
Six Redstone buses will continue to transport 113 students to Williams Elementary until the school year ends May 22.
But next year Durham will assume the entire responsibility.
"It wasn't because Redstone hasn't been doing a fantastic job," Cal Densmore, the installation transportation officer in Garrison Directorate of Logistics, said. "It was decided between Redstone and the city that the city will start running the school bus operation and that's what's taking us out of the business."
This eliminates a Garrison expense, which amounts to about $1,000 per bus, excluding the bus drivers' wages.
Redstone's nine school buses, leased through the General Services Administration, are funded by the Garrison. The drivers work for Northrop Grumman.
"Some of (the drivers) will be going to work different places," said Carl Pack, the motor pool operations supervisor at the Garrison, who is employed by Northrop Grumman. "Some of them will be going to work for Durham, the other bus service that's taking over. There's a couple of them that are going to retire."
"I think that the drivers here have done a fantastic job," Boles said. "They're real concerned about the youngsters' safety. And they've gone the extra mile. We had one kid that fell asleep in the back seat (of a school bus a couple of years ago). They made all the effort to get the kid home. They're always looking out for these kids. They're concerned about their safety."
Dewayne Baldwin, school liaison officer at Child Youth and School Services, said the transition for the school bus operation has been going well.
"It's been relatively smooth," Baldwin said, "to the point where I haven't heard any complaints about it."
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