Kenny Robbins, Regional School Unit 56 building, grounds and transportation director, addresses the board of directors Tuesday at Dirigo High School in Dixfield on his department’s work over the summer. The new bus garage should be complete in a couple of weeks, he said. Marianne Hutchinson/Rumford Falls Times

DIXFIELD — Kenny Robbins, Regional School Unit 56 building, grounds and transportation director, told the board of directors Tuesday that the new bus garage should be complete in a couple of weeks once electrical work is done.

The decision to build a garage at 45 Middle School Drive was partly due to an $8,000 increase in rent for the town garage over a year ago. District residents approved the project in June 2023. A month before, they authorized transferring $565,000 from the year’s fund balances to the bus garage capital reserve fund, which had $500,000. It covered nearly the entire cost of the building, Superintendent Pam Doyen said at that time.

Robbins also said Tuesday that his crew spent the summer getting the school buildings in Dixfield and Peru cleaned and painted. They also changed all air filters in the buildings and took all the boilers apart and cleaned them.

The crew ran five buses for summer school students at Dirigo Elementary School in Peru, and transported Dirigo High School’s Outing Club students for its week of activities. Some staff helped build a canoe trailer and racks for the club, he said.

“I think the kids had fun,” Robbins said.

Robbins also mentioned that the schools’ bleachers were scheduled to be inspected and almost every room in Dirigo High School now has air conditioning.