School tour

A capital project is on the horizon.

School board members looked at some of the areas that may be involved.

Jay School Board toured areas of Jay County Junior-Senior High School that are being considered for updates during a special meeting on Monday.

The board also unanimously approved the hiring of Eddie Fields as the new JCHS football coach (see related story on page 8).

Following a brief business portion of the meeting in the junior-senior high auditorium Monday, school board members and others visited areas of the school that may be included in a capital project. Those included the band and choir area, the TV studio currently serving as the library, the wrestling rooms, the kitchen and the pool.

During its Jan. 20 meeting, Lindsay Simonetto of accounting and consulting firm Baker Tilly indicated that with debt service rolling off over the next few years the board could bond up to $6.6 million for a “non-controlled” project — it would not be subject to a remonstrance — or up to $18.285 million for a project that would be subject to a remonstrance without raising the tax rate. Brian Bohlender of architecture and engineering firm Barton Coe Vilamaa presented a 406-page report that breaks down recommendations for each building, ranking items of high, medium and low importance, with cost estimates for each.

A committee has been working since then to look at options for a potential project.

Jay Schools superintended Jeremy Gulley noted that the areas visited Monday have not been finalized for projects and that other areas are being considered as well across the corporation’s buildings.

“There’s a process to these things,” he said. “We’re exploring, we’re communicating, we’re visiting.”

In the band room, Gulley noted the need for a larger door leading directly outside, new speakers and improved storage.

Director Chuck Roesch said there is plenty of space.

“It’s just a matter of being able to utilize it best,” he said.

For the choir area, director Susan Denney identified installing a wood floor, getting a new sound system and improving electrical service as targets.

“The first priority that I would love to see is for it to get better acoustically in there,” she said. “It’s not a good space acoustically.

“We can all tell when we go into the warm-up room, which is the choral room, how our sound is totally different than what we’re used to,” she added, referencing the show choirs’ recent trips to competitions.

Gulley noted an overall goal of making the band and choir spaces look “2025 instead of 1975,” indicating that some of the equipment is original to the 50-year-old school.

The television studio is also likely to be repurposed.

“I loved Jay Today,” he said. “I really enjoyed it. …

“Times change. Kids do not sign up for it. …

“When you look at the investment versus the number of kids served, it’s just changed.”

While nothing has been finalized, he said the space could be used for the performing arts because of its proximity to the auditorium.

In the wrestling area on the second level of the gym, Gulley pointed to the need for more space with the addition of girls wrestling and the shift to utilizing the building for grades seven through 12. The traditional wrestling room is used for the boys while a former weight room was converted for the girls team. The junior high teams use the area behind the bleachers until the high school season is over.

Gulley pointed to a rarely used restroom, storage spaces the area at the top of an unused staircase as possibilities for being repurposed to better utilize the space for the wrestling program.

“You’re in a tight space here with 40 kids wrestling,” said assistant coach James Myers. “We’d like more space in here. We envision getting two full mats.”

Upgrades being considered for the kitchen include installing new electrical panels and service.

Food service director Jennifer Gelhaus also pointed to the need for new flooring and relocating a fruit and vegetable sink that currently impedes traffic flow in the facility.

“That would be huge improvements for us here in the kitchen,” she said.

The work in the pool area would focus on mechanical equipment, with the dehumidifier as the biggest part of the project. Gulley noted that the facility is now 20 years old and mechanical areas are due for replacement.

“It’s such a great program,” he said. “It’s been a big part of the community.”

Gulley plans to meet with the committee exploring project options on March 18. The board will hold a work session focused on a potential capital project on March 31. 

There will also be opportunities for public input via a survey, with Gulley adding that he is hopeful the board can decide on a project at its May meeting.