The Warren County board of supervisors chased the School Board "around the mulberry bush once again" in the school’s quest for a home for its bus maintenance facility, South Fork Supervisor Stuart Rudacille said Tuesday morning.

Superintendent Dr. Nancy Vance asked the supervisors to make good on their previous intention to provide a portion of the Avtex property to the schools for a new bus maintenance facility. The old bus garage, once located at the school’s administrative complex on Criser Road, burned down in July 1997. The School board had hoped to purchase the 10 acre Avtex parking lot, which fronts Kendrick Lane, and build a new facility there.

The School Board also received a promise on Sept. 30 from the Front Royal/Warren County Economic Development Authority Director Stephen Heavener that the EDA would review the school’s request at an upcoming meeting. Heavener proposed in the letter selling half of the lot to the schools for about $37,000. And, Heavener wrote, although the EDA had not approved the sale of the land, his letter to the School Board and the plan had been reviewed and approved by EDA Chairman Rick Novak.

The bus garage has been an orphan for three years now, as the School Board tries to find a permanent location for it. Currently, the School Board is renting the Downing Building on North Royal Avenue for its facility, paying $2,000 per month.

The Town Council turned down two of the School Board’s proposed locations for the facility— near Ressie Jeffries Elementary School and near the Warren County Middle School — because of resident complaints. The Warren County Planning Commission didn’t pass a third proposal on a location on U.S. 522 South, because of safety concerns about buses entering the highway.

"It’s the best alternative we have at this point," Vance said to the supervisors. "Everywhere else we’ve looked at, we’ve been turned down. We don’t know where else to go."

And, Vance said, it makes no sense to keep throwing that money away, when a space for the building is now available.

The supervisors agreed, but hedged on approving the request to allow the School Board to purchase the lot for several reasons. Most importantly, the memorandum of understanding between the county, town, and Front Royal/Warren County Economic Development Authority on the use of the land requires that all three parties sign off on any decision affecting it. And also, the supervisors said, they’re not convinced that the long, skinny lot is the best place for such a facility.

The plot of land is 165 feet deep and a half-mile long bisected by Monroe, Street. Town officials said they want to retain the eastern end of the tract for town usage, and Heavener said he has an agreement to sell .75 acre of the end of that lot to David Fararr of Kids Place daycare center, for a parking area and center expansion. The western end of the lot — 5.31 acres— would still be available to the schools, if the county, town and EDA would agree to sell it.

Vance said after the meeting that the School Board needs the entire 10 acres to make its plan work. But Tony Carter, vice mayor of Front Royal, who also attended the meeting, said the town plans to retain at least 200 feet on either side of Monroe Avenue for additional commercial space. And, he said, neighborhood residents have already complained about the truck traffic going in and out of the Superfund site, so "residents will also be concerned about the bus facility" traffic, he surmised.

He suggested that the School Board move its administrative offices into the new county complex under construction at the old IGA supermarket, and build its bus maintenance facility at the Criser Road administrative office location.

Vance said the School Board hasn’t discussed that , but doesn’t have the funding for such a proposal anyway.

"And,"she added, "I haven’t heard anyone saying anything about any extra budget for that."

Happy Creek Supervisor Brackenridge Bently also suggested another site— the rear of the town’s existing vehicle maintenance facility near Bing Crosby Stadium.

"There’s plenty of room back there, and it would be advantageous to have the mechanics in a joint facility where they could cooperate."

Carter said he could approach the council about that idea, but Fork District Supervisor Matthew Tederick said the whole thing should be tabled until the county could meet with the town and schools to decide the matter together.

"It seems to me we’re just chasing our tail on this," he said, "Until the Board of Supervisors, the Town Council, and the School Board get in the same room this debate is in vain".

Rudacille was apparently disgusted by the entire discussion.

"I think we made another mistake as usual," he said. "We have jerked the School Board round time and time again and I feel sorry for them. We promised them this and here we go around the mulberry bush again. The Avtex property owes the county a lot more in back taxes than it owes the town. I think we’re letting the tail wag the dog."

The supervisors agreed by a vote of 3-2 to table the issue until Monday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m., when they will meet with Town Council and School Board members and debate the issue. Bradley "Brett" Haynes, Tederick, and Chairman James McManaway voted in favor of the motion; Rudacille and Bentley voted against it.

After the meeting, Vance expressed her frustration.

"For two years, all I’ve heard is ‘Avtex, Avtex, wait until we get the Avtex property.’ We’ve paid good taxpayers money for surveys on three pieces of land and been turned down each time."