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Boaz BOE hopes to start bids for new facility
Published February 20, 2010
Boaz School Board members hope to put out bids for a new multipurpose facility and gymnasium by April.
The facility boasts more than 1,300 seats, a wellness center with a wide variety of fitness equipment, a large classroom, the system’s technology center and, if the budget allows, a band rehearsal space for 100 students.
“I think everything that has been suggested by coaches, the public and faculty has been included in this building,” said Superintendent Leland Dishman. “We added 99 student seats at one end of the gym, and that was something very important to us.”
Chris Ross, of CDG Engineers, said he hoped to advertise for bids in April.
“We are proceeding rapidly to the final plan,” Ross said. “I hope we are able to have the plans submitted to the state and approved for bid in April. If we can beat that schedule, it is all the better. I’m confident we are only a couple of weeks away given where we are standing right now.”
Dishman hopes to schedule a ground-breaking ceremony within the next few weeks.
“I am excited. I’m really ready to see that first shovel of dirt thrown,” said Alan Perry, board president.
Board members also heard a grim report from Chief Financial Officer Brian Bishop. He told board members to brace for hard times in the upcoming months.
“It’s always feast and famine. October and November were terrible, they always are. December and January are good months because ad valorem taxes are coming in. February is pretty good too. But after that, we will have to just hang on,” he said.
“We may have to add pestilence to the feast and famine if we get any more proration at the end of the year. I have heard we could get another 3 or 4 percent tacked on the end of the year if the trust fund doesn’t grow. If that happens, that will pull another half million out of our reserves.”
Bishop’s opinion, he said, is school officials will take a “worst case” stance, cutting staff members before the end of the school year and hiring back as many as possible in time for the 2010-11 school year if funding comes through.
“We are in as about as good a financial position as we could be. But it is going to be hard to sustain 7.5 percent proration without draining our savings,” he said. “I don’t know what will happen, but I just wanted you to be aware.”
Dishman agreed, saying he hoped proration stays level.
In other business, board members gave certificates of appreciation to the system’s school counselors. Janie Clemons, Debra Elder, Kathy Hutchens, Myra Gordon, Becky Boddie and Dina Hayes were praised for their tireless work on behalf of students as part of counselor recognition month.
“What you do is very important but you are not coaches who are visible every Friday night. You don’t get recognition very often, but you should,” Dishman said.
Board members accepted the medical retirement resignation request from Patricia Bates, high school English teacher, and hired Kip Cain as a full–time substitute to fill Bates’ position for the remainder of the year.
Lili Henderson, a middle school teacher, was granted a maternity leave from March 22 to May 28.
The next regularly scheduled board meeting will be March 25 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting was rescheduled to the week following spring break.
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