Two new passenger vans are on their way to Lehighton Area School District despite opposition from one board member.

By an 8-1 vote, the district voted Monday night to buy two 2014 Chevrolet Express 3500 passenger vans for a combined $56,000.According to Joe Hauser, LASD supervisor of building and grounds, the vans will replace two 2002 models.William Hill Jr. was the lone board member to vote against the purchase."Do we need two right now?" Hill asked. "We're talking about blasting out with a lot of money for building projects. Can we buy one now and get another one maybe six or seven months down the road if we need it?"Wayne Wentz, building and grounds committee chairman, said the district has reached a point where the vans do need to be replaced."It is in the budget," Wentz said.The vehicles will be purchased through COSTARS, the state's cooperative purchasing program.Board member Rocky Ahner voted for the purchase, but said he wants to see the vans treated better than they have been in the past."We've had vans come back with big scratches in the side and nobody knows who did it," Ahner said. "The people who sign the vans out need to be held responsible if anything happens to the vehicles. I would like to see someone inspect the vans when they come back so we can ensure they are in the same condition as when they left."School vans don't have a long life expectancy, said board member Hal Resh, but he would like to see similar proposed expenditures go through the finance committee before hitting the full board."It would be nice to know we are going to spend $56,000 in one shot," Resh said. "I'd also like to see the district come up with a plan for our revolving inventory, such as vans, so that we're not dropping all of this money in a bucket at one time."Waiting six or seven months, as Hill suggested, wasn't a move favored by Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver."We're very fortunate that these vehicles are on the lot now and ready to be delivered," Cleaver said. "We don't know what price we'll be able to get in six months."