District staff detail facilities condition assessment, ADA review and new Type 10 bus

Jess Beeman, introduced to the board as the presenter for facilities and transportation, briefed trustees on a state-conducted facilities condition assessment that includes ADA review.

“It's something that the state's doing right now,” Beeman told the board, saying the assessment will visit the high school and sports fields and that site visits are scheduled “the 28th, 29th and the first of the next month.” She said the state’s survey aims to quantify facility needs across Oregon and identify candidates for additional funding, including possible nonmatching grants.

On transportation, Beeman said the district will receive a new Type 10 all-wheel-drive bus that should make routing easier in poor road conditions and allow coaches to drive certain trips without extra transportation staff. She described a vendor review of routes that recommended consolidations that could reduce one route while keeping ride times within district constraints, and said the district plans to implement those route changes at the start of next school year.

Beeman also described a new master roster for each bus so staff can quickly identify students and contact information in an emergency: “Then I have I have 1. Faith has 1. So if we have an accident…we're able to grab this, take it with us, look up the bus route,” she said.

On grounds maintenance, Beeman reported the district is hiring a grounds worker to begin around spring break and plans to treat weeds near new turf with a turf-safe product rather than manually pulling plants that could damage the turf’s backing.

No formal action was taken on the facilities or transportation items; the updates were provided for board awareness and planning.