JACKSON CENTER — The Jackson Center Local Board of Education met on Monday, Dec. 21, 2015, for a regular meeting.
In attendance were Larry Ludlow and Dan and John Freytag of Freytag and Associates. They provided the board a progress update and new details on various segments of the new building as they move toward finalizing the Design Development Stage and the budget reconciliation meeting between Freytag and Peterson Construction. The village is beginning it’s plans to extend Hamer Street in anticipation of the construction access drive that will be added from Hamer running parallel to the railroad tracks along the east side of the project.
The groundbreaking is still scheduled for early April, but weather could play a role in an early or late start.
The asbestos abatement will start this summer – late June or early July. An asbestos person come in and explained the details on prep work and clean up. There is no danger to the students when they are finished. St. Henry did this when they remodeled and more recently Apollo Career Center went through the process. The benefit is a more efficient build schedule resulting in less cost.
In other business the board:
• Accepted the financial report as presented. A second drawdown from the state for the building project is in process as expenses are incurred for the building project. The permanent improvement fund is now able to sustain the new computer purchases planned over the break as well as a new bus if needed and dependent upon the success of major repairs occurring to bus 6. As well, new IRS forms will be produced at the end of the year for both individual employees and for the IRS relative to requirements of businesses with 50-99 employees within the Affordable Care Act.
• Authorized the treasurer to pay the dues necessary to again join the Ohio School Boards Association for the 2016 calendar year to gain access to the services and input they provide each year.
• Authorized the purchasing agent to spend up to $8,000 for a new industrial floor scrubber. After months of research, the scrubber will replace the used scrubber that was purchased years ago and is now incurring costly repairs. The ability to clean the new surfaces anticipated in the new building was also discussed.
• Authorized the purchasing agent to spend up to $95,000 on the purchase of real estate adjacent to the west side of the school’s property at 302 S. Main St. An appraisal and title search were conducted on the home prior to this step.
Also in, other business the board discussed test scores. The principals have worked to breakdown information which continues to trickle in from student testing. Jackson Center’s PARCC math test results were near the top compared to other county schools in passage rate and were the best overall in the percentage of students who passed at an accelerated level.
