In addition to personnel actions which resulted in substantial media coverage this past week, the Mansfield City Schools Board of Education made decisions at their most recent meeting concerning district facilities and equipment.
A major upgrade of the gymnasium at Malabar Intermediate School is scheduled over the summer.The board of education on Tuesday approved replacement of the gym’s heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. The $159,000 cost is determined by a state term contract, which means the district does not have to bid the project.
The board also authorized a $116,000 contract with The Final Floor, Inc., for replacement of the original gym floor, which the board said was installed in 1963. Over the years humidity from the adjacent swimming pool and moisture from pipes below the floor have caused the floor to buckle. The new system will have humidity-control features and eliminate the below-floor pipes.
The board also authorized replacement of the boiler at the Raemelton administration building at a state term contract cost of $147,000.
The purchase of four new school buses won board approval. Treasurer Robert Kuehnle said the buses will be ordered through META Solutions of Marion, a buying consortium that serves several area school districts by securing the lowest prices. Kuehnle said the buses will be ordered now but be paid for out of the coming fiscal year budget. Two will be regular buses, while the other two will be equipped with lifts to serve handicapped students.
Responding to board questions, Kuehnle described the current bus fleet as “in pretty good shape” because new buses have been acquired the last two years. He said $350,000 is being set aside each year for bus purchases.
Superintendent Garverick noted that the district’s fiscal emergency status in 2014 through most of 2016 prevented a cycle of regular bus purchases.
Source: Mansfield City Schools
