South Putnam looking toward more renovations

The South Putnam School Board is moving forward with making more improvements throughout the school corporation's buildings.

During its monthly meeting Monday night, the board heard from architect Tom Neff about the next phase of renovations, which includes additional restrooms at Central Elementary School as well as an additional structure to be added onto the high school to serve as a an auxiliary gym.

After the consolidation of Reelsville Elementary School into Central Elementary, bathrooms have become a major issue for students, many of whom have to wait in long lines during the school day.

Neff came to the board with a proposal that included an additional set of restrooms to be added to the west side of Central Elementary, which likely will include six stalls apiece in each of the boys' and girls' restrooms.

Currently, student restrooms each have four stalls. It is the hope of the board that the additional restrooms will help alleviate the issue.

"When we actually lay it out we would get as many as we could," Neff said. "(Previously) We were nervously saying that you don't have enough restrooms. This would be ideal."

The proposal also included a janitor's closet, but a suggestion by an audience member that an adult restroom has been taken into consideration.

Neff informed the board that although it is a good idea, the Board of Health might require two to be installed.

Along with additional restrooms, the board requested Neff to provide a proposal for an open structure, which would house the weights that are currently being moved constantly from the upper part of the gym to various locations around school.

"As you know, it's damaging the concrete up there. We're concerned with the continued use with all the weight up there," Superintendent Bruce Bernhardt said. "They're (the weights) constantly being moved and we are concerned about that."

Neff came before the board with a plan of a 50-foot by 80-foot structure with a gross area of 4,500 square feet. It was suggested by Neff that the structure be placed just north of the middle school.

"The whole purpose is to get as much use out of it as we can," board member Nancy Wells said. "This has been an issue for some time in particular with the weights and the boys having to carry them up and down the steps. They need another space."

Adding the new structure near the middle school was a point of contention for some as the corporation has made it a point to separate the middle school and high school students.

"We've tried really hard to keep the high school and middle school away from one another," South Putnam High School/Middle School Principal Kieth Puckett said. "I have no interest in high school trafficking that hall to go to the weight room or to go to the restroom."

The board however, suggested that students go through the locker room exits and around to the entrance to avoid going through the middle school hallway, unless there is inclement weather.

The proposed structure itself is a steel-framed building with block walls up to 80 feet with high windows to provide light. It would also include a packaged HVAC system, weight room flooring and industrial fluorescents.

Although, it was suggested by Neff to have minimal plumbing in the structure, many suggested installing some small bathrooms in the structure for possible future community use.

"You're going to be putting restrooms in some day," Puckett said. "You'll be having another meeting like this to add restrooms if you don't do it now. One thing to think about is being expandable."

The cost for the project, without bathrooms, was estimated at $100-$125 per square foot. The construction cost with a 10 percent contingency plus soft costs brings the estimated total to $600,000-$744,000.

The height of the structure was a point of discussion as Neff suggested a minimum of a 12-foot clearance.

However, several board members were concerned with use of the space by cheerleaders as well as other sports, which may require more height. Neff stated they could likely make it a 14-16 foot eave with a sloped roof.

"We want it as high as we can without spending a lot of money," Bernhardt stated.

As of now, it is still unclear of where the structure will actually be placed. However, Neff will return during the December meeting with more details about the structure and its cost.

"We just can't go out and borrow money because that's how schools get in trouble. You have to live within your budget and that's what we're after," Vice President Wes Hacker explained. "We want it as multifunctional as we can make it ... if you think small you're going to be small. You've got to think and plan for the future."

In other business:

* Like most area schools, South Putnam agreed to join the lawsuit against the Affordable Health Care Act. This is at no cost to the corporation.

* The board agreed to move forward and refinance its pension bonds through the Indiana Bond Bank, which will be picking up the cost associated with the refinancing. The corporation was informed that by refinancing these bonds savings would be nearly $50,000 in taxpayer dollars. The time period for the bonds will not change, but will lower annual payments.

* The board also approved the maternity leave of Kristin Scott.