By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 school board will discuss infrastructure improvements at its meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Rockwell Administration Center.
At its meeting April 8, the board rejected bids for replacement of a clock system at Hays High School. The clock system controls part of the HVAC system. A failure in the system recently resulted in the HVAC shutting down.
The $129,337 project also included pulling cable for a new phone system and security cameras that would be purchased at a later date.
Board members said they did not think the project was the most important need for the district at this time and asked the director of building and grounds to bring back cost estimates for replacing the phone system at HHS as well as a list of facility needs throughout the district.
The five-year cost of replacement of the HHS phone system was estimated at between $150,000 and $214,000.
Rusty Lindsay, director of building and grounds, also submitted a facility needs list in the board’s packet that graded each building.
Lincoln Elementary School and Rockwell received D’s. Wilson and O’Loughlin elementary schools received C’s. HHS, HMS and Roosevelt Elementary School received B’s.
Lindsay rated the special systems project, which included the clocks at HHS on a list of critical needs because it has already failed. The Roosevelt roof repair, which has already been approved by the board, was on the list. Tuck point and caulking at Rockwell also was listed as critical.
Twenty-one projects listed infrastructure that is in poor shape and an addition 51 infrastructure areas were ranked in fair shape, but had potential for failure. Lindsay hopes to fix about 10 of the critical to fair projects by the end of this summer and additional six in the next school year. However, that still leaves 59 projects or 79 percent unfinished.
The district will have a first look at two more infrastructure project at its meeting tonight, including work on the HHS parking lot and door lock replacements throughout the district.
In other business, the board will:
- Consider board policy revisions
- Review administrative and classified handbook revision
- Review curriculum updates
- Review student fees
- Review the Kansas Association of School Board membership renewal
- Hear a special eduction update
- Review the 2019-20 board meeting calendar