SIDNEY — Upgrades in the Sidney High School gymnasium were discussed during Tuesday night’s Sidney City Schools Board of Education meeting held at Sidney Middle School. And an enterprise agreement with a company wanting to locate to Sidney was approved.
Athletic Director Mitch Hoying said there are three projects which need to be completed in the gym. The first deals with the bleachers, which need to be replaced. He said they don’t work correctly and won’t always pull out correctly and then won’t go back properly. He said repairs have been made on them, but it’s now time to replace the bleachers. The bleachers were installed in the early 1990s.
The second part of the project deal with the gym floor, which is the original floor from when the building was constructed in 1959. Hoying said the floor has survived ruptured water pipes and termite infestation.
“It’s time to replace it,” said Hoying.
The third part of the project is replacing the scoreboards with a score/video board. Edison State Community College is ready to sponsor the boards, which will pay for most of the cost. The old scoreboard would be moved to Sidney Middle School’s gym.
According to Treasurer Mike Watkins, the estimated costs for the project would be $320,000 for the bleachers; $250,000 for the floor; and $130,000 for the score/video boards. There is currently $160,000 set aside for the projects with another $80,000 to be added this summer.
The actual cost of the project won’t be known until the project is put up for bid.
Hoying said the project could begin in July with fall sports moving to the middle school until it is completed.
A enterprise zone agreement was approved with SEMCORP and the school district. The agreement will also have to be approved by the city of Sidney and Upper Valley Career Center.
SEMCORP is interested in building a 850,000-square-foot facility located on four county parcels west of Fair Road, south of Millcreek Road and east of Kuther Road. The proposed project will begin in the second quarter of 2022 and be completed by December 2025.
The project will create 1,199 new full-time jobs within a three-year period after the building is completed. The investment is expected to include $103,200,000 of new annual payroll.
The enterprise zone agreement calls for a 15-year tax exemption of 75% for each year of the agreement.
Jim Hill, executive director of the Sidney-Shelby Economic Partnership, and James Shih, Head of Global Projects & Legal, SEMCORP Group. The company produces lithium-ion battery separator film products used primarily in the manufacturing of batteries for the electric car industry.
The company’s main offices are located in New York, New York.
In other business, the board:
• Heard building updates for Sidney Middle School and Longfellow Primary School.
• Honored Sidney High School students Korah Hudson, Jewels Crothers, Richard Bibb and Lily Wiford for their superior achievements at the OMEA Solo and Ensemble competition, and Josie Davis for being a three-time girls state wrestling champion.
• Heard the fist reading for new/revised policies for the district.
• Approved a contract with Brainspring Educator Academy for Phonics First Level I for in-person professional development at a cost of $22,475. All new teachers receive the training.
• Accepted the tax rates and amounts determined by the Budget Commission to be collected in calendar year 223 for tax year 2022.
• Approved an overnight trip for the Competition Cheer teams from March 25-27 to Sandusky, Ohio, for a competition. Parents will transport the athletes. Funds will be paid personally.
• Approved the retirement of elementary school teacher Angie Mentges effective June 1.
• Hired Celeste Kuck, IS teacher, and Chelsae Wise, preschool teacher, for the 2022-23 school year. Kuck will be paid $41,450 per year, while Wise will receive $48,852 per year. Each received a one-year contract.
• Hires Misty Johnson and Mark Cathcart as custodians for the 2021-22 school year. Johnson will receive $16.94 per hour and Cathcart will receive $17.78 per hour.
• Hired Alexandra Henman, substitute secretary, $14.88 per hour; Rickey Taylor, substitute bus driver, $17.95 per hour; Barb Petty, substitute cook, $10.62 per hour; and Lizabeth Sandoval, substitute cook, $10.62 per hour.
• Hired Chuck Westerbeck as freshman softball coach at $3,881.
• Hired Oshae Peart, Katie Marter and Tonya McLain as directors of the summer and after school programs. Peart will be paid $1,362 and Marter and McLain will each be paid $1,634. Teachra hired at $30 per hour were Cody Myers, Christian Taylor, Alaina Sayre and Ally Davis.
Approved membership in the Ohio High School Athletic Association for Sidney Middle School and Sidney High School.
• Heard a legislative report update from board member Greg Dickman.
