GCSC meets goal, reduces facility costs

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Though it was agreed last month through a contract with Terre Haute-based Keymark Construction and Development to erect a new transportation facility for the low-bid price of $2.939 million, members of the Greencastle Community School Corporation board (GCSC) and Keymark President Jacob Hellmann have worked together to reduce that amount by nearly $500,000 to meet the corporation’s original goal of $2.5 million.

Furthermore, an already-agreed-upon change order, set when the contract was signed on May 23 and approved at the board’s public session Monday, looks to reduce the cost by another $20,000 and promises to be the topic of interest at the board’s next meeting on July 24.

“Last month when we approved to hire Keymark as the construction group for the transportation center, we accepted their contract at $2.939 million, which was over our cap of $2.5 million,” GCSC Superintendent Jeff Hubble explained. “Our approval of the agreement came with the understanding that there would be an immediate change order to bring the price into compliance with our budget.

“(Hellmann) has removed $472,976 by changing the materials from a pole barn or concrete-foam structure to a prefabricated steel structure; both the bus barn and office building will be made of that, but we still have $21,115 that we’re waiting to be finalized concerning electrical and plumbing fixtures (through which) we feel we can further reduce the cost. The contract is at $2,466,024 currently, but we’re hoping that will come down even more.”

Asked by board member Michael White “so you’re happy with the revisions and terms of what the place is going to look and operate like?”, Hubble simply replied, “Yes.”

The future transportation facility, set to be constructed along Veterans Memorial Highway with its main entrance located at the intersection of Veterans Highway and Tennessee Street, will take shape on the 29.22-acre property purchased from Hanson Aggregates as a 36-door facility capable of housing every corporate vehicle (full-length buses, activity buses, vans and maintenance vehicles).

The premises will also house a 100-by-55 foot office building with a drivers’ room and a two-bay shop.

Board member Dale Pierce, who has close relations to the Amish community and has expressed a desire to utilize those connections to reduce costs even further, explained some of the obstacles ahead with optimism.

“I’m certainly happy from my standpoint of sitting back and watching the bulldozers move the dirt,” Pierce said. “By law, as everyone should know, is that they have to remove 11 inches of topsoil before they can actually set the foundation down, so there is a lot of dirt to be moved and redistributed in several different places, but I’m happy -- I’m a happy soldier.”

Superintendent Hubble also updated the public of an approximate timeline recently indicated by the construction company.

“They’ve laid out a time schedule for the facility’s completion,” he said. “They’re saying they would like to be done by the end of November; I’m guardedly saying that I hope it’s done by Christmas.”

He went on to say that transportation employees will be able to move everything from the 93-year-old bus barn to the new facility during Christmas break if the aforementioned timeline holds true, effectively avoiding forced student interaction with construction or transportation materials.

The transportation facility will continue to be the subject of curiosity for many around the Greencastle community until its expected completion in the fall.

For more information about this project, interested persons may call 653-9771.

In other business:

• Five retirees were recognized Monday for accumulating 138 of education services: Sharla Arnold, 27 years; Mary Traub, 32 years, Deb Rode, 24 years; Carol Clark, 25 years; and Vicky Weir, 30 years.

• An partnership with West Indy Cooperative was renewed; Aunt Millie’s Bakery and Prairie Farms were approved to provide food services for 2017-18; and school breakfast/lunch prices were approved to remain the same as last year.

• Contracts concerning speech and physical therapies were approved with Cornerstone Pediatric Rehabilitation and a contract with Interactive School Therapy, was approved for speech and language pathologist services.

• A donation from DePauw University’s Bonner Community Fund was approved in the amount of $680 and will go to Deer Meadow Primary.

• An overnight field trip to Bradford Woods for Tzouanakis Intermediate students was approved.

• Several items of no value were declared and approved. Items included aging wireless headsets, old lawn mowers and band instruments deemed beyond repair.

• The board approved the hiring, transfer, termination, retirement and resignation of several employees Monday. They were:

Certified -- Megan Smith, resignation as guidance counselor at Tzouanakis; Kieran Clapp, resignation as kindergarten teacher at Ridpath Primary; Maria Stierwalt, resignation as third-grade teacher at Tzouanakis; John Nees, resignation as biology teacher at GHS; Kierstan Kaufman, hired as second-grade teacher at Deer Meadow Primary; Amanda Wells, hired as sixth-grade language arts teacher at GMS; Jamey Landry, hired as guidance counselor at Tzouanakis; Aaron Nance, hired as fifth-grade teacher at Tzouanakis; Elizabeth Timberman, hired as third-grade teacher at Tzouanakis; Molly Bain, hired as biology/science teacher at GHS; Brenda Weeks, hired as consumer science teacher at GHS; and Jon Strube, approved as district testing coordinator.

Classified -- Drew Brothers, resignation as noon aide at Deer Meadow; Roy Hendershot, resignation as head custodian at GHS; Kristine Stokes, hired as secretary at Tzouanakis; Carol Clark, approved as maintenance painter; Brenda Green, approved as maintenance painter; and Valerie Lenihan, hired as maintenance painter.

ECA -- Evan Wilson, approved as assistant football coach at GHS; Robert Ford, hired as assistant football coach at GHS; Robert Worman, hired as head football coach at GMS; Mark Hernandez, hired as assistant football coach at GMS; Thomas Hamilton, hired as assistant football coach at GMS; Anna Harmless, hired as assistant girls’ soccer coach at GHS; Lori Shuck, hired as assistant varsity cheer coach at GHS; Craig Jordan, approved as head boys’ and girls’ cross country coach at GHS; Mark Jedele, approved as assistant boys’ and girls’ cross country coach at GHS; Brian Bridgewater, approved as volunteer assistant football coach at GHS; Carrie Hook, approved as volunteer cheer coach at GMS; and Damon Carrington, approved as volunteer assistant wrestling coach at GHS.

Comments
View 1 comment
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • Please explain to me why it is necessary to spend so much on a building to house every bus you own? Most of the larger school districts have multiple bays for maintenance but still park their busses outside. Seems like you could probably save 50% by just building an operations building with 4-5 bays instead of a huge garage that's not needed.

    -- Posted by hometownboy on Wed, Jun 28, 2017, at 7:21 AM
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: