Area 30 signs lease with Head Start

The Area 30 Career Center Board of Directors signed the lease Tuesday for Putnam County Head Start to use space at the facility for childcare services. The childcare program at Area 30 is closing its doors June 26, but most of its children will have a slot with Head Start.

The one major difference between the two programs is Head Start only accepts children up to the age of 5, where Area 30 had spaces for children as old as 12. Head Start's lease is effective July 1, but won't begin serving area children until August.

Its lease also includes three additional offices.

Additionally, the career center's director Lora Wood told board members its rent won't be going up for its 2009-10 school year.

"F.B. Distro agreed to hold the lease," Wood said.

The center currently holds a five-year lease with F.B. Distro, a general warehousing and storage company in Greencastle. The agreement saved Area 30 more than $17,000.

In other business:

* Area 30 Career Center recognized two of its retiring board members. Wood described Murray Pride, superintendent of North Putnam School Corporation, and Susan Phillips, superintendent of Eminence Consolidated School Corporation, as "very supportive" of Area 30.

Superintendent of South Putnam School Corporation Bruce Bernhardt said the pair has been valuable to Area 30 and he appreciated the years together.

* Three people were approved for hire during the summer at a summer temporary pay scale. They are Jerry Thomas as summer custodian effective June 1; Christine Klinger as summer custodian effective July 1; and Zane Earles as technology support effective June 1.

* Board members approved the appointment of attorney Larry J. Geese and treasurer Cindy Burnham.