The Shadow
WARM SPRINGS – The Bath County School Board has finalized and approved its Capital Improvement Plan.
The five-year plan was adopted Tuesday night during the January meeting of the Bath County School Board at the School Administration Building.
Requests for 2011-12 include replacing a 65-passenger bus at a cost of $80,205 and replacing a 77-passenger activity bus with air conditioning and a cargo compartment at a cost of $96,164.
Other items include security upgrades at all three schools which entail camera surveillance and entrance access systems at a projected cost of $102,345 and renovations and repairs to the locker room at Bath County High School which carries an estimated price tag of $548,400.
Replacing two buses each year through 2015-16 is included in the Capital Improvement Plan. Next year’s request also includes improvements to the parking lot behind BCHS at an estimated cost of $158,400.
The school board has been discussing its capital improvements wish list since November.
“The third draft incorporates the priorities that you placed on these items at the December meeting,” Superintendent Sue Hirsh explained.
“Tonight you need to finalize your items on the list.”
School board member Barbara Waldeck said she supported the capital improvement requests with the exception of the locker room renovations at the high school.
Waldeck suggested that this money could be used for staff raises. She added that she felt a new field house could be constructed for less than the cost of renovations to the BCHS locker room.
Waldeck suggested that the school board “use our money by building a stand-alone facility which would probably be constructed for a fraction of what is represented here as a cost of renovation.”
Hirsh said locker room repairs could likely be completed at less than the $548,400 that is contained in the Capital Improvement Plan. These improvements were excluded from the high school renovation project several years ago due to a lack of funding.
The exact cost of these refurbishments would be developed through the bid process. An updated estimated cost was provided by the architect.
“It needs to be fixed,” school board member Dreama Burns said. “It should have been taken care of a long time ago.”
“I support this wholeheartedly,” Chairman Eddie Ryder said. “It’s a health issue. It’s a safety issue.”
The school board approved the Capital Improvement Plan by a vote of 3-1 with Waldeck dissenting. It was submitted today to county officials and will later be considered by the Bath County Board of Supervisors.
In other business Tuesday night, the school board received an update from BCHS Principal Pete Pitard on Project Graduation funds that were received in December.
The $10,527 received by Bath County comes from Virginia Lottery proceeds and will help students meet Standards of Learning requirements.
“This will, of course, help us eventually with tutoring after school and before school, providing programs that will work throughout the rest of the semester to try to encourage the students to be successful on their
SOLs,” Pitard explained. “This is the first time we have received a Project Graduation grant from the state.”
Pitard also announced that a financial aid seminar for students in grades 8-12 will be held Monday, beginning at 6 p.m. in the BCHS library.
The seminar will assist students in preparing for the cost of college, grant money and scholarship funds that may be available to offset the cost of a college education.
Also Tuesday evening, Les Balgavy, the principal at Millboro and Valley Elementary School, updated the school board on a “Get Active, Get Fit” program in which MES and VES students recently participated.
Millboro and Valley were among 25 schools throughout Virginia that participated in the program, and the two Bath County schools received awards for participating.
A Radio Disney Dance Party will be held in the near future to recognize these schools for their participation.
In other business Tuesday night, the Bath County School Board held reorganizational proceedings for 2011.
Ryder was again chosen as chairman, while Burns was selected vice chair. Hirsh will serve as the clerk for the board, while Sharon Fry is the deputy clerk.
Robert’s Rules of Order was adopted by the school board, and the board will continue to meet on the first Tuesday of the month during 2011.
Chris Singleton was designated school board attorney, while Justin Rider was approved as fiscal agent, and Hirsh was approved as deputy fiscal agent. Paul Lancaster was approved for signature during the superintendent’s absence.
Also Tuesday night, the school board:
– received an update on teacher recruitment efforts for the 2011-12 school year;
– approved the 2011-12 program of studies at BCHS which incorporates new diploma requirements, financial literacy requirements and academic and career plans;
– received an update on the new nurse in the school system. Cheryl Thompson, R.N., reported to work at BCHS on Dec. 14. She has 14 years of nursing experience at Augusta Health in Fishersville and Alleghany Regional Hospital. She lives with her family in Millboro and owns and operates Tender Heart Quilts;
– approved the development of an application process and review of applicants for school volunteers and chaperons;
– approved the appointment of BCHS spring coaching assignments. They include: Boys varsity baseball head coach – Kris Phillips; Boys varsity baseball assistant coach – Joey Altizer; Boys jayvee coaches – Roy Burns and Chris Skovira; Boys baseball volunteer – Robert Plecker; Girls varsity softball head coach – Lisa Baugh; Girls jayvee softball coach – Sandra Williams; Girls softball assistant volunteers – Jay Ford, Kevin Williams, Jeff Ford, Kenny Baugh and Larry Grubbs; Tennis head coach – Nolan Craven; Tennis assistant volunteer – Mike Bollinger; Boys soccer head coach – Marco Cucci; Girls soccer head coach – Juan Roacha; Soccer assistant volunteers – TBD;
– approved the appointment of substitute teachers Lisa Baugh, Ashley Bayne Crouse, Tina Fisher, Teresa Kimmel, Brenda Kintner, Thomas Moore and Deborah Pollock;
– revoked the non-resident status of a student.
