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Board discusses boilers, broadcast upgrades and auditorium fundraising as staff transition approaches
Summary
Board members reviewed facilities priorities including a quote for three new high-school boilers (~$300,000), plans to hard-wire audio for sports broadcasts, discussions about an activity bus and fundraising for the auditorium; members also noted Mr. Hess's final day is June 25. Discussion focused on project prioritization and potential grant funding.
Chair Matt opened an informational discussion on board priorities and upcoming facilities work and asked members to identify accomplishments and remaining needs for a final newsletter and goal-setting exercise.
"So my hope is we can take a little bit of time to try to identify highlights, what's been impactful in those areas," Matt said, urging members to flag gaps and suggest priorities.
Staff and board members spent much of the session on facilities topics. Staff described student technical projects and past housing design work; board members cited a prior design that came in at about $3.5 million as an example of what to consider for future housing or staffing incentives. Members also discussed the difficulty of recruiting young teachers and whether staff housing could be a recruiting perk.
On building systems, Matt said he received a quote from Tanya for replacement work. "I think it was a $300,000 bill," he said, describing three boilers for the high school, valves and updated heating controls that would be integrated with unified software. Board members discussed applying for cohort or CIP grant funding this fall to cover that next phase.
The meeting also covered audio and broadcast upgrades for athletics. Board members described the current desktop located in the athletic director's (AD) office and Bluetooth limitations for the gym PA; staff recommended running a hard audio line from the score-table/announcer area to the AD office so announcers can plug phones or iPads directly and feed both the PA and broadcast systems.
Transportation and equipment needs were debated in light of budget constraints. Members noted the district transportation fund exists but questioned the justification for purchasing an expensive activity bus vs. smaller or leased options; a $250,000 diesel bus figure was referenced as an example of the cost challenge.
Committee member 2 added a lighter moment during the auditorium discussion: "I have a confession to make. I only did a watch 1 ... I went in the auditorium and I sat down, and I took a 20 minute nap," highlighting how comfortable the space can be and the board interest in improving and better utilizing the auditorium. Members reported the Booster Club currently holds about $10,000 for auditorium work and suggested pursuing CIP, community foundation support and other local fundraising.
Committee member 2 also noted a personnel transition: "Mister Hess's last day, I believe, will be June 25," and the chair confirmed that the board's next meeting will be July 8 before adjourning.
No formal votes were taken on the discussed facilities items during the meeting; board members framed next steps as prioritization and potential grant applications this fall.
