School improvements approved at Cloverdale

Monday, June 18, 2007

CLOVERDALE -- The Cloverdale School Board will move ahead with a facility upgrade following a recent 1028 hearing on the project.

The board voted in favor of the measure by a 7-0 vote.

On Monday, CCSC Supt. Carrie Milner told those in attendance that in 2004 the corporation conducted a facility use study with architectural firm Odle McGuire and Shook, Indianapolis.

"We recognized that we had some facilities that needed attention," Milner told a handful of residents at Monday's meeting. "This will address the need of the students."

The plan calls for health, safety and code compliance improvements to corporation facilities, including:

* Gymnasium bleachers and guardrail replacement for the high school basketball gym, and

* Security access control at all three corporation buildings.

In addition, the plan calls for a sports and athletic project, including:

* Replacement of the football field bleachers and press box and accessibility in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act,

* Improved ventilation in locker rooms, and

* Replacement of the elementary gymnasium floor.

The project also calls for adding a 15-space asphalt paved parking lot adjacent to the Knoy Research Center, improved power distribution to the football field, adding a storage room to the administration building, replacing several doors at the high school, replacing door cylinders at the elementary, middle school and high school and adding air handlers to the agriculture classrooms.

The proposed project cost is estimated at more than $1.3 million, according to Odle McGuire and Shook representative Scott Carnegie.

The original project also called for baseball field improvements and new athletic field lighting and was estimated to cost $1.8 million.

On Monday, Educat-ional Services representative Nate Day said the total project costs would be $1.7 million. He proposed the corporation conduct a bond sale for the project in October. He suggested the corporation take out a 10-year amortization loan and a 12-year lease for the project.

Day also said he estimated a 1 percent growth in the assessed value of the loan and a 5.79 percent growth in the interest rate.

He said the total interest cost for the project would be close to $800,000 and the maximum annual lease payment for the corporation would be close to $300,000.

Most importantly, Day said that he believed there would be no increase in taxes for the community.

After hearing no comment from audience members, board member Don Albietz motioned to accept the 1028 resolution with David Brinkman giving the second.

The board then voted 7-0 to adopt the resolution approving preliminary plans, forms of lease and authorizing publication of notice of the lease hearing and then unanimously voted to adopt the resolution approving the formation of a building corporation.

"I think we are ready to move forward," Milner said.

The board also voted 7-0 to allow Milner to appoint two community members to a common wage committee, something Ice Miller attorney Jane Herndon said it had to do in order to move forward with the project.

In other business, the board:

* Approved a measure to consider approval to apply for Title I funds.

* Approved a measure to consider full-day kindergarten for the 2007-08 school year.

* Approved a measure to consider permission to advertise for bread and dairy bids.

* Approved four facility use requests and two field trip requests.

* Approved the resignation of elementary custodian Betty Hoffa.

* Approved the employment of elementary part-time custodian Ricky Jarrett, technology trainer and integrator Julie Gellert, pre-kindergarten summer school teacher Patty Lien, kindergarten summer school teacher Sarah Weller, first- and second-grade summer school teacher Meganne Holley, third-grade summer school teacher Wade Fanning, fourth-grade summer school teacher Susan Smith, middle school English/language arts summer school teacher Mark Wheeler, middle school math summer school teacher Katina Wetter, high school English summer school teacher Sandy Phipps, high school algebra summer school teacher J.J. Wade, high school pre-algebra summer school teacher Sara Campfield, and high school English summer school teacher Amanda Mitchell.

* Approved special services Old National Trail contracts for teachers Margaret Boyce, Tracy Cunningham, Debra Estep, Elisa Garcia, Scott Porter, Megan Schroeder, Mollie Shobe, Catherine VanHorm, Krysta Watson, and teaching assistants Stacy Artis, Lori Belcher, Traci Boyce, Carolyn Emmel, Ginny Lotz, Brenda Mowery, Leslie Pennington, Carol Pickens, Brandi Polster, Shannon Smith, Julie Varnes and Pam Wade.

* Approved the hiring of high school media specialist and head football coach Kyle Winkler.

* Approved the hiring of high school and middle school agriculture teacher Kyle Woolston.

* Approved the hiring of middle school social studies teacher Amanda Roberts.

* Approved the hiring of elementary guidance counselor Christy Schmeckebier.

* Approved the hiring of Title I teacher Steven Livingston.

* Approved the hiring of seventh- and eighth-grade assistant football coach Andrew Tyler.

* Approved the resignations of high school football coach Nathan Aker, middle school cross country coach Scott Porter, seventh-grade volleyball coach Rebecca Kissling, seventh-grade football coach Dave Petty, eighth-grade football coach Billy Boyette, cheerleading coach Mechelle Lockwood, seventh- and eighth-grade volunteer assistant football coach Dave Brinkman, seventh- and eighth-grade volunteer assistant football coach Kevin Taylor, volunteer assistant cheerleading coach Stephanie Petrosky, and volunteer assistant cheerleading coach Tisha Combs.

* Approved moving Danny Hendrickson from middle school part-time custodian to full-time elementary custodian.

* Approved moving Julie Gellert from high school math teacher to technology trainer and integrator.

* Approved Jennifer Mann from gifted and talented to a fifth-grade position.

* Approved the retirement of elementary first-grade transition teacher Janice McCammack.

* Approved a leave of absence of elementary physical education teacher Elaine Bollhorst.

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