The Greene County Schools board at its Sept. 9 meeting held one public hearing at which no one spoke, and later in the agenda had much to say before setting another public hearing.
A public hearing was on constructing a new ticketing/restroom facility at Linduska Field. Estimated cost of the project is $421,000. There were no comments from the public, but board member Tim Riphagen spoke about the location of the building, which is very near the current building.
Riphagen said he had hoped it would be closer to Allensworth Field, home of the Ram baseball team. Superintendent Brett Abbotts explained that location would have made the project significantly more expensive because larger sewer lines would have been required.
“It would have been nice to put it closer to the baseball field, but cost-wise it didn’t make sense,” Riphagen said.
Abbotts said there will likely be a special board meeting to approve contracts for the project.
The board had a lengthy discussion about setting a public hearing on work at the practice field east of the high school. A public hearing is required because funds for the project will come from the district’s SAVE (Secure an Advanced Vision for Education) funds. State law requires a public hearing on projects funded by SAVE if the project will be put to use for athletics and is not attached to a school building.
The area intended as a practice field was graded once but not laser leveled. It drains poorly and has divots and ruts. “There are several spots that hold water, which renders it pretty much useless as a practice field,” Abbotts said.
He said the field needs to be laser leveled, and the fescue the district planted needs to be replaced with a grass that doesn’t grow in clumps. District staff could do the reseeding once the field is leveled. In its current state, Abbotts said, “it’s not incredibly safe to practice on.”
Abbotts called the first estimate he received “insane,” and said he would pursue other quotes before the public hearing.
Board president Cindi Daubendiek questioned the cost of the project. The district has already spent more than $200,000, and is now considering another $100,000-plus. She asked if it was a good use of school funds.
“The public hearing is for public comment. The board has ultimate say in whether we continue this or not,” board president Cindi Daubendiek said.
“I’m not saying I’m standing one way or the other, but I just want you to think about it because, ‘Is this worth it?’ We need to be looking at our funds, and SAVE or PPEL funds, we have to be sure that we’re being good stewards,” she said.
Board member Katie Nelson also questioned the project. ‘I can think of a lot of other sports facilities in our district that could use a lot of upgrades, too, and not a practice field,” she said, and noted that many other athletic facilities haven’t had much work done on them.
After the discussion the board did not set a public hearing, but tabled the item and asked Abbotts to get more quotes.
The board approved the purchase of a new stock standard bus with cargo space underneath at a cost not to exceed $160,000.
The board discussed purchasing a bus with air conditioning. The board agreed that summers are getting hotter and that bus rides to summer sports are uncomfortable, but with funds for only one bus, and two buses used for summer sports, it would be too difficult to decide which team would have the cool ride. Board member Megan Holz also mentioned Title IX considerations when it came to assigning buses.
“AC would be nice if were rolling money, but under carriage storage is more important than AC,” activities director Dave Wright said.
The board approved a 28E agreement with the city of Jefferson for construction of a trail from near the water tower to the high school. The city has received a $250,000 grant for the joint project. Total cost is estimated at $320,575. The school will pay $70,575 for construction and the city will pay $71,500 in engineering fees. The school will be responsible for maintenance and snow removal on the portion that lies on school property, which is the larger portion.
The board approved increasing the price of milk in the school meal program from 40 cents to 50 cents a half-pint to cover an increase in cost.
Abbotts reported the solar projects at the three school buildings are on schedule, with the elementary school set to be fully online with solar in the next week or so. He also reported the press box at Linduska Field is fully operational after one or more vandals broke in and stole light and sound equipment from it. County sheriff Jack Williams has posted a $500 reward for anyone with information about the crime.
