Kennett board approves $5.4 million roofing work and outsourcing for sports officials

The Kennett Consolidated School District board on Feb. 12 approved multiple facilities and operational contracts, including a roughly $5.4 million roofing recover and restoration package for Kennett High School and Mary D. Lane Kindergarten Center and an Arbiter Sports agreement to outsource recruiting, credentials, assignments and payment for game officials.

Treasurer Mark Tracy summarized an independent roofing assessment and recommended awarding the work to Garland Roofing through the Omnia Partners cooperative. The recommended scope uses a recover approach — adding insulation, repairing flashing, and applying a complete top coating — and includes remediation in priority areas; Garland’s work carries a 30‑year warranty. Tracy said the approach was selected after a structural review found the roof substructure in generally good condition and that full tear-off was not necessary.

On athletics, the district approved a service with Arbiter Sports to centralize officials management and electronic payments. The quoted cost was about $23,100 a year plus roughly $300 for initial training. Supporters said the platform will reduce manual administrative work in the athletic department.

Both items were presented with committee-level background and diagrams in board documents; the board voted to approve the contracts as presented.

Board members thanked staff and outside consultants for thorough reviews and emphasized proactive maintenance planning for the district’s portfolio of buildings. Work on the New Garden Elementary site and Greenwood Elementary design and approvals were noted elsewhere in the meeting as projects moving toward construction mobilization.