South Putnam plans to name principal Wednesday

The South Putnam School Board plans to name the new high school principal at a special session Wednesday evening.

The special session will be at 6:30 p.m. in the Central Elementary School music room to name Kieth Puckett's successor. The board interviewed three candidates for the position Monday.

Puckett announced his retirement from South Putnam High School in May, which will take affect June 30. The 1976 South Putnam graduate has worked at South Putnam in various capacities since 1984. He has served as principal since 2006.

During a special session Monday night, the board approved a series of summer maintenance projects to improve infrastructure.

The board approved a contract with Maxxlife Protective Coating to do work on the high school's main entrance into the gym. Beau Battin with Scorpion Coatings and Maxxlife Protective Coatings vendor Mike Fisher presented the details of the project at the May meeting.

Initially, the quote focused on the front and sides on the entryway, but the board requested the work on the pillars as well since they will already be working in the area. He explained previously that once applied, the coating will not fade, peel or chip and comes with a 10-year labor warranty, with any needed repairs done free of charge.

The board approved a contract in the amount of $21,000 to treat the concrete entryway, which has started to deteriorate. The approval excluded the additional cost of $950 to include a biological agent that would combat any mold growth.

"This is a high expense for an issue we probably won't have," board president Wesley Hacker noted.

The board revisited several items addressed at last week's regular board meeting. The board requested Maintenance Supervisor Jim Samsel to get additional information on bids for the sidewalks, tennis court and work on the parking lot.

The board approved a contract with Joe Spiker Excavating in the amount of $39,690. The sidewalks being replaced on the north side of the sidewalk would include the use of wire mesh. Hacker noted he would like the sidewalk to be jointed rather than tooled.

Leslie Coating was approved to do the work on the tennis courts. Samsel said at the last meeting there has not been much maintenance to the court in the last few years and now the top coat is worn, there are cracks in the court and there are issues with the net staying up.

The contract, which will address all the issues, was approved in the amount of $28,125. The board voted against including the $14,000 crack seal that comes with a three-year guarantee. Samsel said most of the cracks extend from one end of the court to the other, so the additional cost would be pointless.

The board approved a contract with Preferred Construction for parking lot renovations in the amount of $49,400 to fill cracks, seal coat and restripe once the construction is finished.

Samsel noted the plan is to have the projects finished before school starts, but the parking lot renovations would need to be done last due to the heavy trucks hauling cement for the sidewalks.

If the contractor is unable to get the parking lot renovations complete before school starts, it will be a Fall Break project.

In other business, the board approved the hire of Brent Ingram as high school special education teacher.