Published: April 11, 2008 12:31 pm            

Six West Clark Community Schools projects move to next phase

The West Clark Community Schools Corp. board voted to allow six of the seven construction projects to move on from the design-development stage to the construction-document phase.

The seventh, the Early Childhood Development Center, is scheduled to make the same move next month.

Larry Timperman, with Michell Timperman Ritz Architects, said this next step means creating more detailed drawings, but that the main design is complete.

Out of the six that are moving on, the West Clark Community Center will see the most changes. The former Sellersburg Elementary School is being renovated for the center that will house the alternative school as well as teacher-training areas. Changes include geothermal energy and a secure main entrance that will make visitors obtain permission before entering the school.

“In a sense, it will be a new, old building,” Timperman said. “When you look at it from the outside, you won’t realize what all is inside of it.”

Changes at Henryville schools include adding more space to the gymnasium in the elementary wing and creating 16 more classrooms.

In Borden, changes include a new auxiliary gymnasium wing that will connect with the existing gym through a new lobby, which will include another concession area.

At Silver Creek High School, most of the renovations involve improvements to the ceiling and adding new light fixtures. The track also is being renovated.

Eric Reed, transportation director for the corporation, is hoping to have some changes made on the buses.

He told the board he is having a demonstration video camera installed on a bus that will have many features that the few existing ones the corporation owns do not.

Reed said the existing cameras do not work because of a hard-drive issue. He said that was evident when bus 501 was involved in a wreck. Reed tried to retrieve footage from the camera that was on that bus and was not able to get anything.

He said the new cameras he wants to install will have up to 150 recordable hours, as opposed to the nine they have now, infrared technology, so footage can be viewed even if they are recorded when it is still dark out, and more.

His goal is to have a new camera on every bus by August.

“It’s just a safety precaution for not only the drivers, but also for the students, such as if there was a fight on the bus,” Reed said.

He said once he has the demonstration camera ready he will crunch the numbers and present those to the board for approval.

Also at the meeting

• The board approved spending $242,460 on Microsoft migration, which will pay for the corporation to switch to Microsoft-based operating systems.

• The board approved spending $22,950 for 50 new Dell computers.

• The board reminded everyone of the snow make-up days, which are May 2 and 30 and June 2,3 and 4.

• An overnight field trip for Henryville High School’s band to perform at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge in June was approved.

• The board awarded a house-demolition bid, for the home at 207 West St., in Borden, to Temple and Temple Excavation and Paving for $11,500.

• The board agreed to purchase the property at 332 U.S. 31, in Sellersburg, for $98,000.

• The group also agreed to appraise the property at 344 U.S. 31, in Sellersburg.

        

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