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| Late-night purchase turns into popular Paola landmark |
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| News | |||
| Written by Brandon Steinert | |||
| Wednesday, 07 October 2009 07:00 | |||
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People do strange things at 3:30 a.m., and most everybody has a funny story to tell about experiences in the wee hours of the morning. But, few can compete with Joe Battista’s tale. He bought a former military bus in an online government auction. The 16-stretcher ambulatory bus, a large red cross adorning either side, is a familiar sight for those who drive through the intersection of Baptiste Drive and North Pearl Street. It sits in the driveway of Battista’s home on the southeast corner of the intersection. Though he’s glad to have it, Battista said it might not have been a good decision.  “It was a 3:30 a.m. purchase,” he said. “It was from a lack of sleep and bad judgement. I thought, ‘that’d be cool to have!’” He purchased his 35-foot 1988 International 1853 from Scott Air Force base during a government liquidators auction. With only 25,000 miles logged, Battista couldn’t resist placing a bid. He woke up later that morning to learn he had won. “(I paid) probably too much,” he said. “But for the mileage, it was not a bad deal.” The giant bus has been a landmark for Paolans for months. Battista said his wife had recently been to Price Chopper and when the employees learned where she lived, they said, ‘Oh!, the house with the bus!’ The Paola landmark is only one of a collection of odd vehicles Battista has obtained, including a Romanian car called an Aro and an M35 2.5-ton military cargo truck, commonly known as a deuce and a half. “I guess I just collect odd things,” he said. “(I have) oddball cars and vehicles.” Most of the oddball vehicles are projects that need attention, including the bus.  It runs fine, and the low mileage is due to it being a base-use bus to transport injured soldiers when they arrive on a plane. He eventually plans on turning it into a recreational vehicle. His RV would be like nobody else’s, as he intends to leave the original paint scheme alone. Battista also plans to give his ambulance a fresh coat of paint, and with it will come the original military designations, which were represented by stickers on the sides but were removed when the bus was sold. He’s not sure when all this will happen. He operates a security-system business, and it’s “a slow market right now.” “(The bus) is not high on the priority list,” he said. “My wife says I have lots of projects and wonders why I never finish them. If you never finish a dream or finish them 90 percent, you can still dream of how perfect it will be when you finish it.”
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