Shining a light on a critically important, often behind-the-scenes part of education, a community gathered Friday to celebrate the Killeen ISD Garland D. Sheridan Transportation Facility.
First built in 2015 on south Trimmier Road and expanded significantly two years ago, the transportation facility is evidence of the community’s growth to the south, including KISD’s newest high school (Chaparral) and middle school (Jimmie Don Aycock).
Superintendent Jo Ann Fey welcomed guests and praised the school board for keeping the dedication ceremony on the district’s schedule through a change in superintendents almost two years ago.
“This facility has been instrumental in ensuring our students are safely transported arriving at their schools each day safely ready to learn and ready to succeed,” said Fey.
Board President Brett Williams also spoke to the importance of bus drivers and the transportation department for safely transporting students. Mainly, though, he deferred to his predecessor, Corbett Lawler, a former principal and school board president.
Lawler recalled his close friendship with Garland Sheridan, a longtime educator who was a teacher, principal and from 1977 to 1991, KISD’s first transportation director.
He was also a beloved friend, quick to help anyone in need.
Sheridan was once an assistant principal at the former Fairway Middle School when Lawler was principal there.
Seeing Sheridan’s son and daughter and other relatives at the ceremony made Lawler emotional as he recalled his late friend’s sterling character and deep faith.
One time, Lawler said, Sheridan volunteered to help him renovate his house and worked the whole holiday break except Christmas Day to assist his friend.
Before coming to Killeen, Sheridan was a teacher, principal and bus driver – simultaneously – in rural Loving County, Texas.
He began teaching in Killeen in 1958 at the Avenue D School. He was later principal of Haynes Elementary School and served as transportation director until his retirement in 1991.
“More than just a name on a building, his legacy lives on in the educators he mentored, the students he inspired and the lives he touched through his quiet, profound acts of kindness,” according to the printed program.
The expansion of the Sheridan Transportation site included a new administration building, an expansion of the existing parking lot, an expansion of the existing maintenance building and an additional fuel station.
This expansion was built to accommodate the district’s 20-year needs, according to KISD facility services.
The new administration building covers 18,500 square feet. The space is large enough to accommodate the district’s entire transportation department.
It also includes transportation operation departments and bus driver assembly and training areas.
The project expanded the maintenance building from two to nine bays and added 11,800 square feet, including storage space.
The enlarged parking lot accommodates 300 vehicles and 195 buses and includes five charging stations for 10 electric buses and a set of diesel fuel pumps to accommodate 200 buses that relocated from the Atkinson Drive bus site.
The following album contains photos from the dedication ceremony Friday, March 7 and from the original dedication ceremony in 2015:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/killeenisd/albums/72177720324288128
