KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- UPDATE Feb. 7, 2018 -- Trees will apparently be used as a solution to neighbors' complaints about the Center High School bus lot.
Center District leaders have bids from three landscaping companies to plant trees to help block out the noise, smell and unsightliness of the bus lot which borders some backyards.
Those neighbors have been complaining about the bus lot since it became operational in August 2017.
District spokeswoman Kelly Wachel says the district could choose a company to plant the trees as soon as March.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- ORIGINAL Dec. 11, 2017 -- Bright lights, horns, beeps, fumes and profane shouting are a five day a week issue for some Center High School neighbors.
They say it's all happening just a few feet away from their backyards.
And it starts well before the crack of dawn.
Rocky Truelove has lived in his home for 33 years. With two acres of property, it's routine to see animals when Truelove sits on the deck overlooking his backyard. For him, it's been a little piece of the country in Kansas City.
"It seemed like the perfect place to live," Truelove said.
But for Truelove, a school bus lot directly behind his backyard shattered that perfection.
In August, the Center School District moved their buses from a compound 20 miles away to the newly constructed on campus site adjacent to the high school.
The move was designed to save money and for easier bus access.
"We were looking forward to serving our families and our kids in a more convenient, service-oriented way," said Kelly Wachel, Center District Public Relations Director.
But Truelove is fed up with the noise and the view of the buses from his backyard.
He recently shot video at about 6 a.m. to show what it's like on school mornings as the bus drivers get ready for their morning runs.
"Now we got people rolling in yelling at each other and sounding their horns and testing their equipment," Truelove said.
And it doesn't just happen in the morning. It also happens throughout the day and evening.
The 41 Action News Investigators were at Truelove's home in the late afternoon as bus drivers were rolling in after completing their routes.
The loud beeping of buses as drivers backed them into spots could be heard very clearly and consistently on the deck outside Truelove's home.
The district parks about 30 buses at the lot.
"I didn't move into that house with those expectations," Truelove said.
"We understand his concerns. We've talked with Rocky numerous times," Wachel said.
District records show the board first started discussing the bus depot last January.
They then sent a letter to homeowners on Truelove's street in March informing them about the new bus lot.
It reads in part, "Some of the buses are diesel-fueled and could be started early on cold days during the winter months. We do not believe you will be disturbed by this, but we wanted you to know anyway."
"It gets pretty loud pretty early, sometimes even earlier than 6, just depends on how cold it is when they have to start those engines up," said Dean Vezeau, who lives next door to Truelove.
Vezeau's backyard boundary is also just a few feet from the bus lot.
He said the biggest issue with the lot is the strobe lights from the top of the buses shining brightly into his home.
Vezeau said he's seen those lights as early as 4 a.m.
"It doesn't bother me as much as it bothers my wife, so in that sense, it bothers me," he said.
Center Schools District leaders point out there were multiple school board meetings when the bus lot was discussed.
During those meetings, there's an opportunity for public input.
But nobody complained about the project.
Truelove said he was recovering from knee replacement surgery when notice came out the new lot and was focused on recovering.
He also said he's offered to build a fence to block his view of the bus lot and to block some of the sound. He said the deal would include the school district paying for materials.
But Truelove said the superintendent promised to get back to him on a Tuesday, but three weeks later when the 41 Action News Investigators spoke to him, she had not contacted him.
However, school officials did come to speak to Truelove in his backyard after they saw the 41 News Investigators at the bus lot.
But so far, no deal has been reached.
"They're not talking in good faith anymore and I don't know if they ever were," Truelove said.
"We haven't said no to anything, we're still working through that with him and the dialogue is still open," Wachel said.
"I don't know what they can do to really solve the problem other than moving the buses somewhere else," Vezeau said.
"An idea that is this bad can't survive," Truelove said.
Wachel said district leaders have looked at some bids and proposals from fence companies to address neighbors' concerns.
But the district has not made a selection at this point.
