Board approves bus lease, $11,601.65 construction change order and food-service contracts

At its regular meeting the WARREN CO. R-III Board of Education approved several routine business items including a bus lease, a construction change order and food-service contract awards.

On a motion to approve the agenda and later the consent agenda, the board used voice votes to adopt the agenda as amended and to approve the consent agenda. The board then considered new business. The superintendent explained a three-year lease for three Type A buses and said the district leases buses in order to be eligible for early-childhood reimbursement; one participant characterized the cost as "very similar" to the prior lease (an estimate in the discussion referenced about $67,000). A board member moved to approve the bus lease as presented; the motion passed by voice vote.

The superintendent next described a construction change order covering four items at a school: building an offset wall in the PE storage area for ducting/firewall, a plumbing rough-in omitted from the drawings, relocation of a guy wire on a sidewalk, and a separate water meter for a storm shelter. The superintendent gave the total change order cost as "$11,601.65." The chair moved to approve the change order and the board approved it by voice vote.

Finally, the superintendent recommended awards for food-service purchasing lines (selecting the lower-priced vendor of two for groceries, Prairie Farms for dairy and Bridal Paper for cleaning supplies). A board member moved to approve the recommendations and the motion passed by voice vote.

All motions in these agenda items passed without recorded roll-call tallies in the public transcript; the meeting proceeded to miscellaneous announcements and scheduling.