BELPRE — The Belpre City Schools district hopes to have a special needs bus delivered by the end of the calendar year.

At Thursday’s meeting of the Belpre City Schools Board of Education, the board approved the purchase on a unanimous vote.

The bus, with a cost of $119,392, will come from Marietta Truck Sales and Service using the META Co-Op competitive bidding program.

District Treasurer Lance Erlwein said the district’s portion of the cost is $26,000. A portion of the purchase price is coming from the State School Bus Purchase Grant with $45,000 and two grants of $44,133.02 and $3,896.26, both from federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Erlwein said the state bus purchase grant received by Belpre still includes $45,000 each for two more bus purchases. Those are on order and will take 18-24 months from order date to delivery, he said. The bus approved Thursday was ordered in 2021.

The board also unanimously approved a resolution recognizing National School Bus Safety Week from Oct. 17-21.

In other business, the board approved accepting a variety of donations including: $600 from Las Tranca to Athletics; $500 from Athletic Boosters to Athletics; $1,233 from Athletic Boosters to Golf; $500 from JD Byryder to Athletics; $312.19 from Kroger to Athletics; $23.20 from Coca Cola to BHS Principal Fund; $275.10 from Iced UP to Cross Country; $500 from Belpre Performing Arts Boosters to Athletics; $172.18 from TreeRing Corp. to BES Principal Fund; and iPads from Belpre Performing Arts Boosters with a value of $765.98.

Wayne Towner can be reached at wtowner@newsandsentinel.com