Norfolk’s School Transport Starts To Go Green
By Bob Bumcrot

Whalen Transportation, which has been driving Norfolk school children since at least
1924, is about to install one hundred three-by- five- foot solar collectors on the 106-foot
roof of the maintenance facility attached to their home on Greenwoods Road East. The
small commercial-level array is projected to generate over twenty-two thousand kilowatts
a day. At the start excess electricity will be fed into the grid, but battery storage is a
possible future consideration. “It’s part of our plan to go as green as we can,” said owner
William Whalen. “We already recycle our used oil.”
The company goes back to at least 1924, when a contract was made between Whalen’s
great-aunt J. A. Maloney and the School Committee for “Transportation to Center School
by team and [stretch] automobile” for $21 per day. Included was the requirement that
blankets be provided to the children during cold weather. The teams and busses were
housed in a barn that remains on Shepard Road. Horses were pastured in the field next to
the school site now occupied by Meadowbrook.

Several small livery operations were eventually merged into the company, including
busses sold in 1964 by Mrs. Gertrude Hayes, whose husband had operated a combined
school bus facility and filling station at what is now George’s Garage. In1958 Whalen’s
father Malachi inherited part of the firm and bought the rest from his siblings.
In1974, at age 18, Whalen started driving the busses. He had been working in the moving
and storage part of the company since he was twelve. The moving operations, confined to
the eastern half of the country, continue as Whalen Moving and Storage, a separate
company from Whalen Transportation. In1995 the school busses were moved from a
section of the Town Garage on Old Colony Road to the present location across from the
transfer station.
There are currently four bus drivers, identified in the accompanying picture. Two are
married and two are single mothers/grandmothers. Moe Mills has been with the company
for fifteen years, the others from one to eight years. The fleet of eight vehicles includes
several large busses with capacities for 71 to 89 students and a smaller one for up to 30.
In the mornings one of Theresa Christensen’s passengers is her three-month- old
grandson. Starting a little after six a.m. the drivers go to Regional 7 in Winsted before
beginning the routes to Botelle School. Several drivers said that the job was in some ways
like that of a truck driver, with two major differences: (a) instead of cattle, steel beams or
trash their cargo is dozens of children, who must be monitored, and (b) the pay is much
less. There are some advantages for drivers who are mothers. “When the kids are home
for a snow day, we are too,” said Mills. Although it is sometimes fairly certain that a
snow day is going to be declared, the official decision is not made by Regional 7
Superintendent Clint Montgomery until 5 a.m.
Over the years the drivers have had to cope with fallen trees, downed power lines, sudden
blizzards and student fights. But the behavior that most outrages them is being passed
while the stop sign is displayed. “That happened once when there was a kindergartner in

the street,” said Latulipe. “I was spitting fire.” At such incidents the drivers always fill
out a report and try to get the car license number, even asking the older students to help
with identification. The report is sent to the State Police.
The number of drivers used depends on the current school population. “Years ago we
practically filled a bus on Maple Avenue alone,” said Whalen. But many costs continue
to increase despite a smaller school population. “In 1980 a school bus cost $17,000. Now
it's $82,000,” he said. Whalen does all his own maintenance on an outdoor concrete pad
next to the unnamed beaver pond behind the facility. “Besides beaver, we often see
ermine, otter and lots of birds. I try to do a lot of preventive maintenance in warm
weather. It’s no fun out there in the winter.”

The people of Whalen’s Transportation: Joanna Hester, Moe Mills, Teresa
Christensen, Cathy Latulipe, Leigh Whalen, William Whalen.