Over the past several years we have all become used to seeing the school bus type shuttle making its way back and forth from main campus to Lakeside… if you look very carefully at the photo below you can actually see Ned Mahoney clinging to the roof.. he’s the one wearing a white shirt.
However there have been
discussions going on at the very highest levels …
The Board of Trustees:
The President’s Office:
The Faculty Senate:
…to replace the existing
familiar shuttle with something that has a bit more style.
Unfortunately
the Batmobile was not available. But we continued to look…
And look…
Other means of transport were
considered:
We even considered:
We had managed to talk David
Provost into being “test fired” out the
prototype but at the last moment we (he) decided to go with another option: Jim Mackin. One of our own. Unfortunately Jim revived
during the loading process and put up such a spirited defense we had to stop
trying to load him. The mission was
scrubbed.
The 2013 Freightliner Sprinter Van
(At this point I’d like to
ask all of you to quietly hum to yourself the “ Battle Hymn of the Republic” as
you read the description of the van below. ‘Mine eyes have yada, yada..terrible
swift sword.. grapes of wrath’..you
remember.)
With air conditioning, more
comfortable cloth seats, a whisper quiet Mercedes low sulfur emission engine,
tinted windows and increased headroom this new addition to our shuttle system
will soon be running back and forth from Lakeside to main campus. And Yes,
Virginia, there will eventually be a bike rack; we’re looking at options.
The
primary vehicle that runs from 7am-6pm will have our name and emblem on it to
help identify it. The second Sprinter which
will come online down the road (sorry- couldn’t resist) will run the peak times
of 7:30-9:30am and 5:00-7:00pm.
First
prize will be an evening shooting rats at the local landfill with yours truly.
