Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
PIERCETON - Whitko's school board is deciding what needs to be done to existing school buildings to keep them updated and ready for future students.
Two separate studies that look at the school corporation's facilities and the cost and timetable to update the buildings were presented to the school board Monday.
A facilities study by Barton, Coe, Vilamaa Inc. was based on information gathered by engineers and architects, plus staff interviews and a review of historical data, said Gary Watkins.
"It didn't look like any of the facilities are to the point of falling down, but there are some with some age on them," he said.
The company's report on systems that need to be updated or repaired was submitted to the board.
Watkins said the study looked only at the buildings' needs based on current programs (for example, it did not consider changing needs based on all-day kindergarten), and did not examine curriculum.
Steve Nutt, of American Energy Conservation Inc., presented his company's report on making the changes needed and the cost of that work.
Nutt said the preliminary project cost is approximately $3.5 million that could be spread over 10 years.
Updates Nutt said should be made include lighting system retrofits and new energy management systems for all schools. He recommended repiping and climate control for the D wing shop area, and installing lobby unit ventilators for the high school; new ceilings and boilers for Pierceton Elementary and an electrical system upgrade; and replacing south wing heating units and installing a new centralized air conditioning unit for South Whitley Elementary.
Nutt proposed a preliminary schedule in which the work would begin by May and would be done by December.
The school board accepted both reports but did not vote on either on Monday.
In other business, the board:
• Scheduled a public work session to review facilities and set priorities for future projects for Jan. 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the administration building.
• Approved the joint services agreement with the North Central Indiana Special Education Cooperative.
• Approved using Whitley Memorial Hospital as the exclusive occupational health service provider.
High school exams are scheduled for today and Wednesday, with the semester ending Wednesday and grades expected to be distributed Jan. 26.
Eighth-graders will go to the high school Jan. 28 for orientation, and a separate evening orientation will be scheduled for the eighth-grade students and their parents.
The Whitko School Board will next meet Feb. 16.
