10/9/23 Special Board of Education Meeting

Dr. Meagan McBride led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Present:

Dr. McBride

Dr. Andrew Gase

Mr. Larry Kisabeth

Mr. Victor Perez

Absent:

Mr. Dustin Williams

As presented.

Superintendent Ben Richards stated the district has been in litigation regarding the track for the past year, but there is a difference between being awarded a judgement and receiving the judgement. When the track was installed, it was almost immediately found to be flawed. A few months ago the district was awarded a default judgement of $1.2 million. Mr. Richards said we have unsuccessfully worked the legal process to collect the funds. The company is now threatening to go into bankruptcy. He went on to state that in the end, the district still needs a track for students.

Board members heard information from Mr. Richards with options to address the track, which included a base improvement, a sprayed polyurethane surface or a rolled rubber surface. Mr. Richards said there are other needed improvements in the district the cost of which could impact the choice of track renovation. The other improvements discussed included auditorium renovations, turf replacement, upgrades to the middle school HVAC system to eliminate the need to run the boiler year round to prevent leaks, yearly Chromebook replacements, the purchase of two school buses per year, the purchase of passenger vans, Washington's roof, stadium improvements, and Tiffin Middle School repairs. All repairs discussed add up to approximately $8-9 million.

Representatives from Kiefer USA and Energy Optimizers were on hand for questions. Mr. Richards said the district cannot host events or hold practices on our track currently, as several lanes are unusable. He stated decisions need to be made soon in order for work to be done in the summer.

Mr. Richards said Dr. Gase was instrumental in ensuring the district has a permanent improvement fund. While it is $1 million annually, that does not go as far as it seems it would, in fact barely keeping the district moving along. He said it is not enough to close the gaps while the gaps keep getting bigger and bigger.

The board then engaged in discussion of purchase and financing options for track renovation. Dr. McBride asked for clarification of turf replacement options. Mr. Richards listed auditorium upgrades that need to be done, as well as accessibility issues with the current configuration. Dr. McBride requested a prioritized list of stadium improvements. Dr. McBride also asked that the annual line for band instruments be increased so the replacements aren't always behind.

Mr. Cook said he would put together hard numbers for the items discussed, including financing options, and explore bidding for the track. Mr. Richards then verified with the board their preference is a spray polyurethane track, plus the auditorium improvements, and to explore financing options for those items.

None.

The Board business meeting is concluded.
Meeting started:  5:45 p.m.
Meeting ended:  6:25 p.m.