Schools, agencies feeling fuel pinch

Hurricane Ike has interrupted the shipment of diesel fuel to Iredell-Statesville Schools, jeopardizing the district's ability to transport students.

I-SS was scheduled to receive a supply of 7,500 gallons of diesel fuel for its 208 buses Monday, but didn't. Another shipment from Petroleum Traders, which has offices in Greensboro and Charlotte, is scheduled for today.

"We're at the oil company's mercy," said Ricky Adams, a mechanic and parts manager for I-SS.
District officials took matters into their own hands, purchasing 6,000 gallons of diesel at $3.51 per gallon from local suppliers Tuesday.

That purchase will enable I-SS buses to operate for a few more days.

"Right now, we're in good shape until the middle of next week," Deputy Superintendent Brady Johnson said.

The bus garage has an underground storage capacity of 20,000 gallons of fuel. Before Tuesday's purchase, I-SS had 5,700 gallons in reserve.

District buses use 2,300 gallons of diesel per day to transport students to and from school, according to Adams.

Superintendent Terry Holliday said administrators have been monitoring the situation and will deal with it accordingly.

"We consider priority one getting kids to and from school," he said.

To conserve as much fuel as possible, the district suspended field trips scheduled for this week. Athletic events and afterschool enrichment and tutoring programs, including SHAKE and eSHAKE, will continue as scheduled, according to the district's Web site.

When Hurricane Katrina hit three years ago, I-SS experienced the same situation. The district responded by reducing field trips and cutting back on travel, said Holliday.

The fuel shortage is problematic for school districts across the state.

According to Derek Graham, the N.C. Department of Transportation's section chief for transportation services, the state contracts with fuel suppliers who have been constrained by pipelines shutting down.
"The state contracted vendors have been having a tough time coming up with the supply," Graham said.

"Everyday that goes by as they (fuel suppliers) increase capacity, the better off we're going to be," he said.

Fuel savings

Like I-SS, local law enforcement agencies are taking measures to save fuel where they can.

Chief Deputy Rick Dowdle of the Iredell County Sheriff's Office said deputies are continuing to practice the same conservation plans put into effect when gas prices rose significantly earlier this summer.

Deputies are taking calls by phone when possible and trying to eliminate trips to and from Statesville by filing paperwork electronically.

Supplies of fuel have been adequate so far, and there are reserve supplies for emergency vehicle usage.

"So far we haven't run into a lot of problems," Dowdle said. "We should be in good shape at least through the end of the week."

Iredell EMS Director David Cloer agreed.

All of the ambulances run on diesel fuel, while the quick-response vehicles driven by supervisors run on unleaded gasoline.

Cloer said supplies for the county's vehicles seem to be holding steady.

"There are no major issues right now," he said.

There are some conservation plans in effect at EMS, such as crews picking up meals on the way back from calls rather than making separate trips. EMS is also limiting unnecessary driving.

SPD Acting Assistant Chief Bill Halliburton said all of the SPD vehicles, including spare cars, were refueled Friday in anticipation of the problems from Hurricane Ike.

A reserve supply of fuel is set aside for emergency vehicles, such as police cars and fire trucks, and that is still there, he said.

Acting Chief Tom Anderson said the SPD put fuel conservation practices into effect recently in an attempt to stretch fuel budgets as far as possible.

The SPD public-service aide is handling some minor calls by phone, but an officer is still dispatched if the person requests to talk to an officer face to face.

Fuel for the county

Iredell County hadn't received an updated report from its fuel supplier, Raymer Oil, as of noon on Tuesday.

The county's four fueling sites in Statesville haven't run out of fuel at this point, said County Purchasing Agent Dean Lail.

"Right now, we are trying to get through the possible emergency," he said. "I have not discussed the price increase or anything yet."

Last week, the county paid $3.196 for unleaded gasoline.

County Finance Director Susan Blumenstein said prices are going up and it will affect the county's budget. Until the county receives an update from Raymer, she won't know how much the budget will be impacted.

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R&L staff writers Donna Swicegood and Bethany Fuller contributed to this report.