By HOLLY GASKILL
Norwell Community Schools is moving forward with $2.4 million construction projects for the baseball and football fields.
The bids, presented to the board on Tuesday, included the construction of new concession and restroom buildings at either field and new entrances.
The board had previously approved pursuing these projects and several others under a new $6.105 million bond. At the time, the board and Superintendent Mike Springer expressed that a baseball building was a high priority among the projects.
Given the similar nature of the work, the projects bid together for cost-effectiveness. Initial projections in June estimated the new football and baseball buildings and entrances, weight room expansion, and softball field lights would cost $2.485 million.
Kent Gilliom from Weigand Construction, the company managing the projects, said they received roughly 30 bids with a guaranteed maximum price of $983,281 for the baseball construction and $1,443,272 for the football construction.
Gilliom stated crews would begin groundwork as soon as possible, hoping to pour the foundation of the football building following this season.
“This is needed, in my opinion, as we look at our current facilities … that building (football) is falling apart,” Springer said.
Springer then affirmed that this bid price would not affect another high-priority project — renovations to Ossian Elementary School. He clarified that given the nature of the project, it would take longer to bid out, but funding wouldn’t cause an issue. These renovations will include a “reconfiguration” of the classrooms, replacing cabinetry and carpet, and painting, among other items.
The district also outlined the possibility of building a new administration building but ranked it the lowest priority project.
Also during the meeting, the board approved a 2024-25 academic calendar following feedback from teaching staff. By and large, the calendar follows the previous schedules, with slight adjustments dependent on holidays.
The first student day will be Aug. 7, 2024, and the last on May 22, 2025. Fall break and spring break will coincide with the Bluffton-Harrison Metropolitan Schools’ schedule, the fourth week of October and the last full week of March, respectively. Other calendar holidays are Labor Day, a three-day Thanksgiving break, a 10-day winter break, Presidents’ Day, and Good Friday.
Other items were:
• An $8,050 grant was accepted from the Wells County Foundation Virginia Gene Neuenschwander Youth Fund to support Victor Pacini’s ‘Be Seen and Heard’ program, a sexual abuse education program.
• The board accepted the retirements of Preschool Director Deb Brickley, effective at the end of the 2023-24 school year, and OES secretary Janice Kenline, effective Jan. 1. In other personnel matters, the board approved the recommendation to terminate bus driver Deva Betts.
• Donations were received from Psi Iota Xi — $200 for the NHS media center, $200 for the NMS library fund, and $200 for the LES library fund.
• The board approved field trip requests from the FFA Soils Team to travel overnight to Benton County Oct. 20-21 and FFA to Indianapolis Nov. 1-3.
• Resolutions were adopted to allow the district to use funds from the bond. The board also adopted a resolution regarding the 2024 maximum tax rate, which the board had discussed at their previous meeting, and formal plans regarding bus replacements and capital projects.
holly@news-banner.com
