District 24 to buy gas from village

District 24 maintenance supervisor Charles Brocher, joined by Mayor Ed Fare, uses the gas pumps at the village’s public works facility on Arlington Avenue.

Andrew Hackmack/Herald

District 24 is going to be saving money on gasoline. The elementary school district recently signed a contract with the village, allowing it to fuel its vehicles at Valley Stream’s public works yard on Arlington Avenue.

The village purchases its gasoline from state contracts, and the price per gallon is nearly a dollar cheaper than at a typical gas station. Last week, the state contract price was $2.95 per gallon for regular, while retail price at a typical gas station was $3.85.

District 24 won’t be saving a dollar a gallon, though. It doesn’t pay the federal excise tax on gasoline, so it already has been saving about 20 cents per gallon. And the village will be charging a 10 percent administrative fee. In the end, the savings will be about 40 to 50 cents per gallon for the district. “It’s a savings,” said District 24 Superintendent Dr. Edward Fale. “Is it a huge savings? No. But every little bit counts.”

Last year, District 24 spent about $2,700 on fuel for its four vehicles, which includes two maintenance trucks, one van and a tractor. The van is used by the district’s maintenance staff when traveling between schools, Fale said, while the trucks are used for snow plowing, leaf cleanup and moving heavy equipment. The tractor, which runs on diesel fuel, is primarily used for lawn mowing.

Initially, village officials had been talking with officials from the Central High School District about using public works facility for gasoline. Fale said he heard about this offer and approached Mayor Ed Fare. “I said ‘I would be interested,’” Fale said. “We explored it and we’re going to do it.”

Fare visited Brooklyn Avenue School last fall to speak to a sixth-grade class about being the mayor. While there, he and Fale began talking about a possible partnership. Since then, an agreement was written up and the village board approved the two-page contract earlier this month.

“It’s really a win-win across the board,” Fare said. “It’s saving the taxpayers money.”