March 15, 2017 at 2:50 a.m.
SAHS will be renovated
Project is set for this summer
SAHS will be renovated
Copyright 2017, The Commercial Review
All Rights Reserved
BERNE — South Adams High School will undergo a major renovation project this summer.
At its meeting Monday, South Adams School Board approved a $1.7-million contract with Performance Services for renovations that include moving the high school office and renovating nine classrooms.
Capital improvement projects were the topic of the evening as board members were also presented with a list of possible future projects and some options for funding them.
The base project for the high school renovations this summer includes moving the main office from its current location to the area east of the northeast entrance, creating a secure entrance to the school and renovating classrooms (including science labs) on the north and east sides of the media center. That work comes in at a cost of $1.625 million.
Board members also decided to move forward with several alternates, including a new intercom system ($40,500) that will be tied into the elementary/middle school building (an additional $22,500) and removing a mechanical closet from a classroom ($17,775).
“We’re ready to go,” said Ed Williams of Performance Services, which also constructed the South Adams elementary/middle school building.
The board had initially hoped to use the nearly $2 million it saved on bond refinancing to do a more wide-ranging project that would have included renovations to the remaining SAHS classrooms and the media center. But the cost of construction proved to be too high to be able to complete all of that work at once.
After the renovation was approved, superintendent Scott Litwiller presented board members Arlene Amstutz, John Mann, Mitch Sprunger, Julie Mansfield, John Buckingham, Amy Orr and Landon Patterson with a list of other projects that are up for consideration over the next several years. Those include completion of the high school renovation, new furniture for SAHS, renovation of the current high school office, renovation and/or expansion of the industrial arts and machine trades shops, replacing the camera system, new high school lockers, a new roof for the auto shop, paving parking lots and a variety of athletics-related items such as new bleachers and press box at the football field, new press box, concessions stand and restrooms at the baseball field and a new track.
Litwiller also listed options for funding those projects, including a total of $238,000 on hand in the capital projects fund, $1.6 million in the rainy day fund, capital projects money expected to be received in coming years, funds from the sale of property and issuing new bonds.
Ryan Fetters of financial consulting firm H.J. Umbaugh and Associates presented the board with information about the financial impact of bonds, using $2 million as an example. To raise that money would require a tax increase of an estimated 9 cents per $100 of assessed value over a five-year period or 4.5 cents per $100 of assessed value over a 10-year period. (The school system’s current tax rate is just over $1.) South Adams’ current annual debt repayment is about $1.6 million, and such an additional bond would increase that amount by about $450,000 per year if paid back over five years or $250,000 per year if paid back over 10 years.
Litwiller asked the board to review both the projects and the funding options as part of an effort to prioritize and plan for the future.
Director of buildings and maintenance Dave Vorhees also reported on improvements already planned and budgeted for 2017. Those include upgrades to LED lights in the elementary and middle schools, replacing two water heaters in the high school and purchasing a new snow plow.
In other business, the board:
•Was reminded that a Feed My Starving Children MobilePack is scheduled for Friday. Students and volunteers will spend the day packing 200,000 meals to be shipped to those in need.
•Set lunch prices for the 2017-18 school year, including $2.05 for elementary school lunch, $2.15 for middle/high school lunch, $3 for adult lunch, $1.30 for student breakfast and $1.55 for adult breakfast. Those represent 5- or 10-cent increases from the current year.
•Scheduled its annual board visitation day work session for April 11. Board members will visit the schools throughout the day with their regular board meeting to follow at 4 p.m.
•OK’d the purchase of Software Systems for school accounting at a cost of $47,600 plus an annual fee of about $14,000. The board also gave the OK to an $8,000 service agreement with Brandie Oliver and Nick Abel from Butler University to conduct a needs assessment on the South Adams counseling program.
•Extended the due diligence period by 30 days for the process of closing the sale of the school property at the northwest corner of U.S. 27 and Indiana 218 to Biggs Indiana Properties.
•Heard a reminder that the high school jazz band will hold a concert at 7 p.m. Thursday. Also on the upcoming schedule are the Music Boosters’ Carnival on April 7 and the high school choir and band concert on April 8.
•Approved field trips for auto service, machine trades and fire and rescue students for April 21 and 22 to the SkillsUSA state in Indianapolis and Global Opportunities Club in September to Chicago.
•Approved Andy Sommer, JD Keller, Kristie Brown, Kristin Miller, Sandy Sprunger, Emily Cook, LouAnn Reinhard, Jeannine Wurster, Jeff Bradtmiller, Cindy Sprunger, Kelsey Sprunger, Jen White, Gwen Habegger and Andy Brown as ISTEP and/orIREAD boot camp tutors, Theresa Smith as a part-time special ed aide, Lilly Taing as an assistant softball coach, Holly Neuenschwander as a middle school assistant track coach and Leslie McPeek as a high school secretary.
•Accepted donations of nearly $3,000, including $2,340 from Lehman & Bixler Eye Care Optometrists for the football program.
•Recognized the following examples of excellence: Kristin Miller’s fifth grade class for earning $2,500 worth of classroom supplies through the Change the Play Fall Challenge; choir, chorale and band members who participated in Indiana State School Music Association contests; and wrestlers,swimmers and girls basketball players for their accomplishments this season.
All Rights Reserved
BERNE — South Adams High School will undergo a major renovation project this summer.
At its meeting Monday, South Adams School Board approved a $1.7-million contract with Performance Services for renovations that include moving the high school office and renovating nine classrooms.
Capital improvement projects were the topic of the evening as board members were also presented with a list of possible future projects and some options for funding them.
The base project for the high school renovations this summer includes moving the main office from its current location to the area east of the northeast entrance, creating a secure entrance to the school and renovating classrooms (including science labs) on the north and east sides of the media center. That work comes in at a cost of $1.625 million.
Board members also decided to move forward with several alternates, including a new intercom system ($40,500) that will be tied into the elementary/middle school building (an additional $22,500) and removing a mechanical closet from a classroom ($17,775).
The work will begin at the conclusion of the current school year, with a substantial completion date of Aug. 7 in order to be ready for 2017-18 classes.
“We’re ready to go,” said Ed Williams of Performance Services, which also constructed the South Adams elementary/middle school building.
The board had initially hoped to use the nearly $2 million it saved on bond refinancing to do a more wide-ranging project that would have included renovations to the remaining SAHS classrooms and the media center. But the cost of construction proved to be too high to be able to complete all of that work at once.
After the renovation was approved, superintendent Scott Litwiller presented board members Arlene Amstutz, John Mann, Mitch Sprunger, Julie Mansfield, John Buckingham, Amy Orr and Landon Patterson with a list of other projects that are up for consideration over the next several years. Those include completion of the high school renovation, new furniture for SAHS, renovation of the current high school office, renovation and/or expansion of the industrial arts and machine trades shops, replacing the camera system, new high school lockers, a new roof for the auto shop, paving parking lots and a variety of athletics-related items such as new bleachers and press box at the football field, new press box, concessions stand and restrooms at the baseball field and a new track.
Litwiller also listed options for funding those projects, including a total of $238,000 on hand in the capital projects fund, $1.6 million in the rainy day fund, capital projects money expected to be received in coming years, funds from the sale of property and issuing new bonds.
Ryan Fetters of financial consulting firm H.J. Umbaugh and Associates presented the board with information about the financial impact of bonds, using $2 million as an example. To raise that money would require a tax increase of an estimated 9 cents per $100 of assessed value over a five-year period or 4.5 cents per $100 of assessed value over a 10-year period. (The school system’s current tax rate is just over $1.) South Adams’ current annual debt repayment is about $1.6 million, and such an additional bond would increase that amount by about $450,000 per year if paid back over five years or $250,000 per year if paid back over 10 years.
Litwiller asked the board to review both the projects and the funding options as part of an effort to prioritize and plan for the future.
Director of buildings and maintenance Dave Vorhees also reported on improvements already planned and budgeted for 2017. Those include upgrades to LED lights in the elementary and middle schools, replacing two water heaters in the high school and purchasing a new snow plow.
In other business, the board:
•Was reminded that a Feed My Starving Children MobilePack is scheduled for Friday. Students and volunteers will spend the day packing 200,000 meals to be shipped to those in need.
•Set lunch prices for the 2017-18 school year, including $2.05 for elementary school lunch, $2.15 for middle/high school lunch, $3 for adult lunch, $1.30 for student breakfast and $1.55 for adult breakfast. Those represent 5- or 10-cent increases from the current year.
•Scheduled its annual board visitation day work session for April 11. Board members will visit the schools throughout the day with their regular board meeting to follow at 4 p.m.
•OK’d the purchase of Software Systems for school accounting at a cost of $47,600 plus an annual fee of about $14,000. The board also gave the OK to an $8,000 service agreement with Brandie Oliver and Nick Abel from Butler University to conduct a needs assessment on the South Adams counseling program.
•Extended the due diligence period by 30 days for the process of closing the sale of the school property at the northwest corner of U.S. 27 and Indiana 218 to Biggs Indiana Properties.
•Heard a reminder that the high school jazz band will hold a concert at 7 p.m. Thursday. Also on the upcoming schedule are the Music Boosters’ Carnival on April 7 and the high school choir and band concert on April 8.
•Approved field trips for auto service, machine trades and fire and rescue students for April 21 and 22 to the SkillsUSA state in Indianapolis and Global Opportunities Club in September to Chicago.
•Approved Andy Sommer, JD Keller, Kristie Brown, Kristin Miller, Sandy Sprunger, Emily Cook, LouAnn Reinhard, Jeannine Wurster, Jeff Bradtmiller, Cindy Sprunger, Kelsey Sprunger, Jen White, Gwen Habegger and Andy Brown as ISTEP and/or
•Accepted donations of nearly $3,000, including $2,340 from Lehman & Bixler Eye Care Optometrists for the football program.
•Recognized the following examples of excellence: Kristin Miller’s fifth grade class for earning $2,500 worth of classroom supplies through the Change the Play Fall Challenge; choir, chorale and band members who participated in Indiana State School Music Association contests; and wrestlers,
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