A driver takes a bus through the wash at the Butler Transit Authority in February 2023. The authority voted to award over $4 million toward the construction of a new wash in 2026. Butler Eagle File Photo

A new bus wash is now set to be constructed on the Butler Transit Authority grounds over the next year, representing the biggest capital expense by the authority in over a decade.

The Butler Transit Authority Board of Directors voted unanimously at a meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 18, to award four separate bids, each relating to a specific section of the project, for an overall cost of $4,212,000.

The most expensive portion of the project, labeled under “general trades,” was awarded to GEM Contractors for a cost of just under $3,554,000. Renick Brothers will cover both the mechanical and plumbing portions at a cost of $143,000 and $102,000, respectively. The remaining $413,500 was awarded to Alderson Crawford Electric for the electrical work in the project.

Authority executive director John Paul explained to the board at Tuesday’s meeting that even though the project will replace the current bus wash, the new bus wash will be an entirely new structure.

“We’ve already redid (the bus wash) once and the corrosion’s back and eating it,” he told the board.

As for the old bus wash, Paul said it will be converted to an additional storage area. He said any cost of the conversion is already included in the total price of the project.

“They’ll remove the old equipment and they’ll get us additional storage so we can put our truck in there. We’re hoping to move everything that we’re currently storing in the storage building for buses,” he said.

Paul also informed the board the final cost came in $888,000 over the designer’s estimate, but that work on replacing the bus wash cannot be delayed.

“The current bus wash is hanging on by a thread,” he said.

Paul said work on the old bus wash will be performed last to ensure the authority and its partners have access through the winter. He said in the best case scenario, he expects the new wash to be operational by winter of next year.