Wamego’s USD 320 Board of Education made a decision to move forward with a bond issue.
At Monday’s meeting, Operations Director Larry Hannan went over the priority list of improvements needed in all the district’s schools.
The Priority List included A (must have), B (need to have) and C (suggested), plus a F. F. and E (Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment) list that accompanies the Priority List, with the addition of a Central Kitchen.
The approximate total of the proposed bond issue will be about $10,000,000. The cost of the Central Kitchen is not included in the cost estimate.
According to Superintendent Denise O’Dea, the amount of this bond issue would not raise the mill levy for the taxpayers.
By a vote of six to zero the Board authorized O’Dea to proceed with the bond issue process.
The decision was not an easy one. The Board would not approve the building of the proposed new 4, 5 and 6 Center to the Middle School, which would have cost over $27,000,000, even though the Middle School is faced with serious overcrowding.
The new Center would also alleviate overcrowding at both Central and West Elementary.
The Board authorized O’Dea to look into the mobile classroom option.
In other business, the board accepted the bid from 4-State Maintenance to repair and refinish the gym floor at West Elementary in the amount of $11,717.75 contingent on resolving the outside drainage situation which has caused the problems in the gym.
Hannan assured the Board his staff would be completing the drainage issues.
