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Drop ceilings part of Bainbridge Elementary HVAC upgrade
ROACHDALE — With heating and cooling issues having persisted for years at Bainbridge Elementary, school officials at North Putnam are ready to address them with a new HVAC system.
With a public hearing held prior to its regular meeting Thursday evening, the North Putnam School Board was faced with a question: Ceilings or no ceilings? More specifically, this was whether to install drop ceilings in all of the classrooms.
Kevin Livingston of EMCOR Construction Services mainly focused on whether to have exposed vertical ductwork. He provided that the existing systems in the gymnasium and cafeteria could be integrated into the new system as a whole.
The other option is to install drop ceilings to conceal new ductwork. While they would affect the unique aesthetics of the classrooms, they could allow for better circulation of air and heat. Livingston added that air would be circulated in the spaces above the drop ceilings themselves.
With the options still being considered at this point, Superintendent Nicole Allee said that maintenance was working on ensuring heat for the coming winter. The renovation itself is expected to be under way by next summer.
For his part, Tyler Loeffelholz of Baker Tilly Financial Services noted that bonds incurred for the estimated $5,575,000 project will not mean an increase to debt service. In other terms, taxpayers’ rates will not be affected. He also provided that the bonds were estimated to be paid off by 2040.
The board adopted resolutions outlining the project and its need. The board also adopted resolutions authorizing preliminary general obligation (GO) bonds and reimbursing the corporation once bonds for the project are issued.
With Ron Spencer abstaining, the board also appointed EMCOR as the guaranteed savings provider for the project. This essentially means that the updates will ensure a cost savings compared to current HVAC expenditures.
In other business:
• Without any public comments, the board held a public hearing on North Putnam’s budget for 2022. While the budget is set to be adopted at a meeting on Thursday, Oct. 7, the board approved the corporation’s 2022 capital projects and school bus replacement plans.
• The board approved a request by Corporation Treasurer Tanya Pearson for $157,959 in additional appropriations. Pearson said the funds were required to address a discrepancy with debt service payments.
• The board approved bonds of $10,000 and $5,000 for North Putnam Middle School and North Putnam High School extracurricular treasurers Jennifer Nelson and Caitlyn McMurtry.
The board also recognized sixth-grade science teacher Matt Couch as North Putnam’s Teacher of the Month.
The board also approved the following personnel report:
• New hires: Joe Cialkowski - after-school learning loss instructor; Bailey Proctor - Roachdale Elementary instructional assistant; Jessica Farmer - NPHS instructional assistant; Bonnie Osborn - after-school recovery teacher; Elizabeth Barnett - after-school instructional assistant; Paula O’Brien - after-school instructional assistant; Kayla Kocher - after-school learning loss tutor; Amanda Kramer - after-school learning loss tutor; Jennifer Nelson - NPMS secretary and treasurer; Deb Everman - Bainbridge Elementary instructional assistant; Vince Brooks - NPHS boys’ basketball head coach; Craig Franklin - NPHS boys’ basketball first assistant coach; Tim Tillotson - NPHS boys’ basketball assistant coach; Greg Lyons - NPHS boys’ basketball assistant coach; Lukas Haworth - NPHS girls’ basketball head coach; Curtis Lawrence - NPHS girls’ basketball first assistant coach; Kelly Windmiller - NPHS girls’ basketball assistant coach; Julie Ann Elmore - NPHS coed swimming head coach; Ryan Burress - NPHS coed swimming assistant coach; Adam Logan - NPHS coed swimming assistant coach; Allison Everman - NPHS coed swimming assistant coach; Michael Murphy - NPHS wrestling head coach; Dillon Binnion - NPHS wrestling assistant coach; Jared Allgood - NPHS wrestling assistant coach; Colin Smith - NPHS wrestling assistant coach; Jake Scott - NPHS wrestling assistant coach; Carrie Hook - NPHS cheer head coach; Bambi Wiley - NPHS cheer assistant coach; Myra Cox - NPHS cheer assistant coach; and Haylee Cox - NPHS cheer assistant coach;
• ECA: Dustin Bond - major production technical director and musical technical director; Jennifer Graybill - Musical One vocal director and Thespians; Morgan Asher - musical sound technician; Kirstin Mindiola - musical choreography; Jon Hathaway - National Honor Society sponsor; Pam Bacon - sophomore class sponsor; Char Coffman - Bainbridge Elementary Spell Bowl coach; Carolyn Huffman - Roachdale Elementary Spell Bowl coach; and Samantha Zimmer - Roachdale Elementary Spell Bowl coach;
• Leave: Dominique Owens - Bainbridge Elementary instructional assistant;
• Resignation: Kyle Morgan - National Honor Society sponsor.
Board members Amber Greene and Joanie Knapp were absent at the meeting. Joining Allee, Pearson and the rest of the board were Director of Operations Terry Tippin, Corporation Attorney Darren Chadd and Administrative Assistant April Lambermont.
The next regular meeting of the North Putnam School Board is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. in the large group instruction room at North Putnam High School.