Construction At Wawasee Finally Winding Down
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
SYRACUSE - There is a light at the end of the construction tunnel for Wawasee Community School Corp., according to a report given Tuesday at the school board meeting by Bob Lahrman.
A projected move-in date for North Webster Elementary School will be proposed at the November board meeting, but many expect it to occur during the Christmas holidays.
Most of the work at the high school will be completed by the end of October except for work in the auditorium, which will be completed soon thereafter.
If work goes according to schedule, everything will be back to normal by Monday for students at Syracuse and Milford schools, who got a second bit of good news - they don't have to make up the two school days they lost at the beginning of the year because of the construction. The state has granted a waiver.
And, finally - the gym floor at Wawasee Middle School could be usable before harsh weather sets in. On Aug. 22, the floor was badly flooded during a torrential rain. The tongue-in-groove wooden floor began to curl, which made it dangerous to use. Crews have been drying the floor for the past six weeks and are meeting with floor specialists this week to determine the next step.
Replacing the floor could cost upwards of $100,000, and it is still uncertain if insurance will cover any of the cost.
With vacation of the North Webster School imminent, the board has a sense of urgency in disposing of the building. It did not budget money to heat the building through this winter, and without heat the gym floor probably will buckle. The building is heated by an old-fashioned boiler system that is either on or off with no way to regulate the amount of energy used to produce the steam. Heating bills are high.
Bob Murphy spoke for the people of North Webster, telling the school board that there are groups who want to use the building and that there is money to operate it for up to five years, but they can't afford to buy it. He explained that an architectural firm is advising the group on asbestos, underground tanks, building codes and other issues.
The unanswered questions for both groups remain - demolition cost, selling price and operating costs if it is kept in use. Groups who have shown an interest include the Lakeland Youth Center, North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Library, a day care group and a latchkey group. Some hope the building also will house the Town Hall as well as the Post Office.
"The moment the new school is finished, we'll mothball the old building. We can't afford $43,000 to heat it," superintendent Mark Stock said.
Board member Brian Dawes said, "It seems like the process is going awfully slow. We're running out of time."
"We'll need to know by our November meeting," board president Jeffrey Wells told Murphy.
Stock used slides to punch home the major points of Public Law 221, which requires schools to educate students to standards set by the state or face the consequences, which could be as harsh as eliminating a school district for noncompliance.
Schools must implement an improvement plan, monitor the results and institute remedial measures when necessary. Each level in the schools has identified responsibilities that share successes and/or failures. The responsibility begins with school boards and marches up the ladder to superintendents, principals, teachers and students.
The new standards in math began this year with testing to begin next fall to determine the results of the newly implemented improvement plan. New standards for language arts begin next fall. They will be followed by new standards for science, history and other areas of study.
The status of school-owned vehicles, not including school buses, was discussed and enhanced by slides. The board was told every vehicle is old and rusty with high mileage. One dates to 1977. It is hoped some money will be left from construction to buy newer vehicles.
The board also:
• Approved a New Facility Appeal, which could allow money from the general fund to be used by the schools. Even though Brian Dawes said, "We need control over tax creep," he made the motion to approve the appeal.
• The board accepted "with gratitude" a $1,000 donation from the Knights of Columbus of Syracuse to the Special Education Department of Syracuse Elementary School. [[In-content Ad]]
SYRACUSE - There is a light at the end of the construction tunnel for Wawasee Community School Corp., according to a report given Tuesday at the school board meeting by Bob Lahrman.
A projected move-in date for North Webster Elementary School will be proposed at the November board meeting, but many expect it to occur during the Christmas holidays.
Most of the work at the high school will be completed by the end of October except for work in the auditorium, which will be completed soon thereafter.
If work goes according to schedule, everything will be back to normal by Monday for students at Syracuse and Milford schools, who got a second bit of good news - they don't have to make up the two school days they lost at the beginning of the year because of the construction. The state has granted a waiver.
And, finally - the gym floor at Wawasee Middle School could be usable before harsh weather sets in. On Aug. 22, the floor was badly flooded during a torrential rain. The tongue-in-groove wooden floor began to curl, which made it dangerous to use. Crews have been drying the floor for the past six weeks and are meeting with floor specialists this week to determine the next step.
Replacing the floor could cost upwards of $100,000, and it is still uncertain if insurance will cover any of the cost.
With vacation of the North Webster School imminent, the board has a sense of urgency in disposing of the building. It did not budget money to heat the building through this winter, and without heat the gym floor probably will buckle. The building is heated by an old-fashioned boiler system that is either on or off with no way to regulate the amount of energy used to produce the steam. Heating bills are high.
Bob Murphy spoke for the people of North Webster, telling the school board that there are groups who want to use the building and that there is money to operate it for up to five years, but they can't afford to buy it. He explained that an architectural firm is advising the group on asbestos, underground tanks, building codes and other issues.
The unanswered questions for both groups remain - demolition cost, selling price and operating costs if it is kept in use. Groups who have shown an interest include the Lakeland Youth Center, North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Library, a day care group and a latchkey group. Some hope the building also will house the Town Hall as well as the Post Office.
"The moment the new school is finished, we'll mothball the old building. We can't afford $43,000 to heat it," superintendent Mark Stock said.
Board member Brian Dawes said, "It seems like the process is going awfully slow. We're running out of time."
"We'll need to know by our November meeting," board president Jeffrey Wells told Murphy.
Stock used slides to punch home the major points of Public Law 221, which requires schools to educate students to standards set by the state or face the consequences, which could be as harsh as eliminating a school district for noncompliance.
Schools must implement an improvement plan, monitor the results and institute remedial measures when necessary. Each level in the schools has identified responsibilities that share successes and/or failures. The responsibility begins with school boards and marches up the ladder to superintendents, principals, teachers and students.
The new standards in math began this year with testing to begin next fall to determine the results of the newly implemented improvement plan. New standards for language arts begin next fall. They will be followed by new standards for science, history and other areas of study.
The status of school-owned vehicles, not including school buses, was discussed and enhanced by slides. The board was told every vehicle is old and rusty with high mileage. One dates to 1977. It is hoped some money will be left from construction to buy newer vehicles.
The board also:
• Approved a New Facility Appeal, which could allow money from the general fund to be used by the schools. Even though Brian Dawes said, "We need control over tax creep," he made the motion to approve the appeal.
• The board accepted "with gratitude" a $1,000 donation from the Knights of Columbus of Syracuse to the Special Education Department of Syracuse Elementary School. [[In-content Ad]]