Southport will soon be using a new bus for its 57 students after purchasing a 2016 vehicle for $85,250 from O’Connor Motor Company.

School Board Vice Chairman Adam Harkins updated the selectmen at their recent meeting while accompanied by two future passengers of the new bus: Finn Harkins and Harrison Hinckley, two students.

The town of Southport will maintain ownership of the new vehicle; the town appropriated funds for the purchase. The town had allocated $82,000 for the purchase of the bus.

As Adam Harkins explained in an interview, Southport’s school bus logs a number of short trips: early on a school day it takes the island’s seventh and eighth graders and high school students off island to the region’s schools in Boothbay Harbor. It then returns to Southport to pick up the remaining students and bring them to Southport Central School.

The bus that has been used to transport students has an exhaust system and motor that was designed to be used for longer trips. Southport selectmen have authorized the sale of the vehicle to the Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District so the bus can be used for longer school trips.

Planning board seeks opinion

In other business before the selectmen, Southport planning board Chairman Donald Duncan requested an opinion as to the use of the property at 40 Town Landing Road. Work has been going on at the property and has included a cottage and barn, both of which previously received approval from the planning board.

Adam Maltese, senior designer for Knickerbocker Group, participated in an exchange of information at the recent planning board meeting to consider a project on the house at the same location. The company would like to submit an application for the project so that they can break ground before winter weather begins.

The planning board has asked the Southport selectmen to review the current use of the property and to provide the planning board with its opinion as to whether the property use is residential, commercial or for a home occupation.

Related: Cuckolds pier construction pending approval from town