Can money be saved by sharing shop duties with other agencies? Sharing is complicated A few years back when we needed a new maintenance facility, it was suggested that the local city transit and my school district combine shops. It ended up being a maintenance nightmare of what-if thoughts. Which entity gets priority? Brad Barker, lead mechanic Park City (Utah) School District Garage co-ops work well Several districts in Washington have combined maintenance operations with government entities. In one of the smaller counties with just one school district, all municipal and county equipment — school buses, police and fire equipment and county road crew vehicles — are maintained with the district’s equipment. By combining operations, the school was able to afford a state-of-the-art maintenance facility. Mark Obtinario, owner Cowlitz Coach Service Castle Rock, Wash. Effective fuel partnership I manage fueling for the school district and the city of Rialto, Calif. The school district buys all the gasoline and diesel that the city uses and the school district charges an administrative fee for the use of the fuel. Mike Woolery Mechanical Services Supervisor Rialto (Calif.) School District