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Progress on new construction at Warsaw Community High School will continue through the winter, Warsaw School Board members were told Monday.
A representative of Construction Control Inc., the company overseeing the construction, said the foundation work for the auditorium, physical education classroom, concessions building and ticket building is completed.
Work expected to be done by Dec. 9 includes new parking lot lighting completed, auditorium roofing under way and construction of the varsity football field grandstands and press box begun.
He said they hope to complete masonry and roofing on the auditorium so inside work can be continued throughout the winter.
Board member Ron Yeiter asked for the total out in bids so far for hard construction costs - labor and materials - and was told that total is $24,802,756.
The board approved borrowing money from the Indiana Bond Bank for 2005. The board borrows money annually to cover expenses until tax proceeds are received from the state.
Kevin Scott, Warsaw Community Schools finance manager, said the amount to be borrowed is not yet finalized, but he expects it to be close to what was borrowed last year - approximately $5 million.
The board also:
• Heard from teachers at Leesburg Elementary about activities last month to encourage and improve reading skills, including a pep rally, "Wear Words Day," a read-in, dressing as a favorite book character and free books delivered by the Leesburg Fire Department.
The school also has a successful Reading Buddies program, in which first and fourth grades, second and fifth grades and third and sixth grades are paired during lunch for reading, lunch and playground time.
• Heard from superintendent Dr. David McGuire that enrollment at all Warsaw schools is up 99 students from the same time last year. Enrollment is at 6,589 students, compared to 6,490 last year.
• Approved board policies on board policy development, attendance policy for grades seven through 12, disclosure of student lists, reporting absences to the local health department and vending machines.
The vending machine policy is a new one, and specifies that vending machines in elementary schools will offer only healthy beverages and foods, those in middle schools "shall not offer foods or beverages of minimal nutritional value in locations available to students" and machines in the high school must offer at least half healthy beverages and foods.
• Heard from Donna Person and Tammy Keirn about the middle schools' joint Veterans Day program, which involved several hundred students, both in the audience and in music.
• Was told about the WCS Web site, which has been updated to allow public access to the school calendar. Visitors to the site can select calendar events by school building or by activities.
The site also includes a link to the superintendent, in which anyone can directly e-mail McGuire.
• Heard from patron Rick Schooley, who questioned the board's priorities with the high school building project.
"How much of that $24 million is going to help a kid go to college or learn a trade?" Schooley said.
Board members are Craig Allebach, Larry Chamberlain, Gene England, Cathy Folk, James Folk, Mark Minatel and Ron Yeiter. The board meets at 7 p.m. in the administration building on the third Monday of each month.
