Will Bird Flu Close Down MCPS Bus Depots?

As bird flu is detected in more and more places in the United States, health officials are taking action.  In Massachusetts, bird flu testing has led to the closing of a park.   

What will happen here in Montgomery County?  

For example, the MCPS Shady Grove Bus Depot is covered with goose poop from the flocks of geese that live on top of the MCPS bus maintenance building.  If bird flu is detected at that location, will the bus depot be shut down?  The depot has goose poop on all of the pavement and stepping in goose poop is virtually guaranteed as staff and school bus drivers walk to their offices and onto their school buses.   

This is the same bus depot where feral cats are being kept by MCPS employees.  The feral cats live under the 4 office trailers used at the site for MCPS DOT Dispatch, Human Resources, Training and one trailer is the "lunchroom" for the MCPS bus drivers.   

MCPS Keeping Feral Cat Horde at Shady Grove Bus Depot. School Bus doors do not lock. Feral Cats can Enter Buses

Take a look at Google Earth at the MCPS Shady Grove Depot located 16651 Crabbs Branch Way in Rockville, Maryland.  Take a "drive" around the property and you will see that there are a number of work trailers.  They are the same type of classroom trailers that are used for students, but these trailers are used for MCPS staff.  

At one of the work trailers at the MCPS Shady Grove Depot, the Google Earth image shows a small door opened under one of the work trailers and a person with multiple bowls.  

The bowls are apparently to feed feral cats that are being kept under the trailers.  

How many feral cats are being kept at the Shady Grove Depot?

Keep in mind that MCPS school bus doors do not lock.  State law prohibited school bus doors from locking and so school buses are kept in gated depots.  

However, the locked gates do not keep animals, including dozens of feral cats, from entering the school buses at night.  

The next day, MCPS students use those same school buses.