Culver Community School Superintendent Karen Shuman updated the school board on many projects that have taken place since the students exited the buildings in May.
She noted during the meeting Monday, July 15 that contractors are putting fixtures in the Elementary School restrooms and installing epoxy in those facilities. Ceiling grids are being installed and partitions should be delivered soon. Work at the Elementary School should be done at the end of the month.
At the Middle/High School, the science lab walls are down and the rooms have been gutted. There have been a couple of different designs of the labs, but the south classrooms should be ready by the start of school. The labs may not be done in that timeline.
The Applied Skills and Marketing/Media classrooms are still under construction along with the cafeteria ADA restroom.
There is work being done in the office area in the Middle/High School to accommodate office space for the Guidance Counselors, the Career Coach and the SRO.
Shuman said she should know by the end of September on whether there will be funding available to reconfigure the daycare area to meet compliance. If the grant is not awarded, the corporation may need to spend some money to making it a larger area based on the number of students in daycare.
As these projects are in various stages of construction, Superintendent Karen Shuman said conversations have been held with Baker Tilly and Ice Miller officials about a General Obligation Bond. She said there is a capacity of $3.3 million that the corporation could bond where it would not raise taxes.
“The reason we’re looking into this is when we talked to our budget people and we planned for the budget for this next year we need to cut about $500,000 from our Operations Fund,” explained Shuman. “All of those things that don’t apply directly to Education Fund are in the Operations Fund.”
Shuman said it would offset that $500,000 by doing the General Obligation bond. It would allow the corporation to do several projects already proposed in the published, advertised and approved Capital Projects Plan. The Plan is typically approved along with the budget process.
Some of the proposed projects in the current plan include resurfacing the track, and a football press box and bleachers. The softball press box and lights project would be included, along with putting lights on the baseball field, an ADA entrance to the Culver Elementary School stage, a new entrance to Door U at the Elementary School, and a redesign of the Culver Elementary School cafeteria and kitchen to improve flow and accommodate growth.
No decision was made as information was simply presented to the board. Officials from Baker Tilly will be present at the board’s meeting August 5 to present information.
