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Public a no show at budget hearing
BY CHARLES GARRATT • STAFF WRITER
 | | The new door on the front of the Bath School Administration building threatened to hold up payment of bills Tuesday at the monthly meeting of the school board. Board members Jake Cleek and Barbara Waldeck questioned whether the $2,000 door had been competitively bid. Maintenance director Kirby Motley was at the high school dealing with water problem and didn't return until near the end of the meeting. Motley explained installation of the door had been delayed by weather and the new door meets code for handicapped accessibility and complements the new ramp built on the front of the building. The board voted 3-1, with Cleek dissenting, to pay all bills including the door. |
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WARM SPRINGS - Not one citizen wanted to speak Tuesday at the first public hearing held by the Bath County School Board on the proposed budget for school year 2008- 09.
Superintendent Dr. David Smith skipped the presentation on the draft budget and made only a couple of quick comments. The board, he said, is planning a 5 percent plus scale increase for faculty and staff. "All other significant increases in the budget have to do with heating oil and propane costs," he said.
The budget is still in progress and the final numbers to be presented to the supervisors March 17 have not been set. As of Tuesday, the total revenue requested is $10,940.015, a 6.70 percent increase over the current fiscal year.
No member of the board commented on the budget, either. Steady hard rains during the meeting had board members and others looking out the windows and up at the roof as a few staff members checked the weather radar on laptops.
At the suggestion of board member Barbara Waldeck, a planned budget work session after the regular meeting was cancelled. The next budget work session is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 6 at the school administration building.
A second public hearing on the budget will be held at 5:30 p.m. March 13 at the administration building. This will be the last opportunity citizens have to comment on the proposed budget before it goes to the supervisors.
The school board's regular April meeting will be held April 1 at 7 p.m. at Millboro Elementary School to accommodate a request for handicapped access.
Boosters propose weight room
Dr. Terry King presented a preliminary plan to create a multipurpose gym in the old gym at Bath County High School. King's son plays three sports at the high school and spoke on behalf of the booster club in promoting the conversion of the old gym into "a facility where all 5,700 square feet can be used year around."
The plans include a 40x40 weight training room partitioned from the rest of the gym and a new multipurpose floor in lieu of the wooden basketball floor. The floor would be suitable for weights and dances without special covering.
"Every school we compete against has a weight room," King told the board. While he applauded the current training program at Bacova Wellness Center, he said that program had limitations. For those students like his son playing three sports, there is no off season to train at Bacova. In addition, the travel time cuts down on the time available to train and is increasingly expensive, he noted.
The multiple purpose floor installed at Dabney Lancaster Community College 18 years ago has "really served the school well," King said. The National Guard pulls trucks in on the floor during training and all the floor requires is cleaning and wax like finish occasionally.
"This is just a draft, just a concept," said King, "We would love to see it move forward." He offered to show board members the floor at Dabney and to meet with them to discuss the plans.
Board member Dreama Burns said the athletes at BCHS "excel in sports, they deserve support."
Smith said, "Before any structural changes can be made to the building we must have an architect involved." As for the insurance settlement expected to cover damage from water to the wooden floor during renovations, Smith he didn't have enough information whether the settlement could be used to install a different kind of flooring.
In general, board members were supportive of the ideas presented and agreed to pursue the possibilities and try to visit Dabney in the coming month.
New door delays bill payment
Business manager Justin Rider began his presentation of bills Tuesday pointing out increased cost for fuel and propane and a $6,000 increase in the electric bills from BARC. Some of the increase in electric cost was seasonal, he said, but some was increased cost.
Board members were more interested in some of the specific items in the bills to be paid. Cleek questioned a number of items that included fees for a Virginia School Board Association conference.
Another item question by Cleek was a rebuilt engine for an '84 Ranger pickup used to haul trash at Valley Elementary School. Cleek and Waldeck questioned the wisdom of investing in a vehicle 28 years old.
Smith said the body of the truck was in good shape and he felt the money was "an inexpensive way to extend the life of a utility truck."
The $3,000 for the new front door and installation on the school administration building brought the discussion to a halt when Smith referred questions to maintenance director Kirby Motley, who was at the high school "dealing with a water emergency in the locker room."
Rather than wait for Motley to return, the board voted 3-1 in support of a motion by Cleek to pay "teachers and workers only." Ryder cast the lone vote against the motion.
"Sounds like a rather extreme action," Smith said. "The proper thing would be to pay everything but that."
Just before the meeting ended, Motley returned to the meeting. After some wrangling on parliamentary procedures, the board voted to modify the agenda to take up the payment of bills a second time.
Waldeck then made a motion to pay all the bills so discussion could continue on the door. The board voted 3-1 to approve payment and then talked about the door.
Motley told the board the new door is handicapped accessible and meets building codes.
Waldeck asked whether competitive bids had been taken.
"I got a quote and presented it to Dr. Smith," Motley said. He felt the price by Highland Glass "looked very reasonable." Motley said, "There are not a lot of people willing to come to Bath County to do these small jobs."
After the discussion, a second vote was taken on the motion to pay bills and again the vote was 3-1 with Cleek dissenting.
Football bleachers discussed
Athletic director Wayne Dent handed out a quotation for new bleachers on the visitor side of Carl Williams Field. The quote, from National Recreation Systems Inc., is for elevated bleachers with handicapped seating including installation, 140 feet x 21 feet by eight rows high- a total of 631 seats at a cost of $64,000.
However, additional ground work, including a possible retaining wall, will nearly double the total cost of the project, Dent said. The retaining wall would allow more space for the bleachers between the field and the entrance road to the high school.
Jake Cleek, Warm Springs board member, said, "This looks like a good deal." Cleek suggested a separate section of seating on the home side for the band, noting the group is nearing 100 members.
In addition to the materials on the bleachers, Dent told the board that contrary to previous reports, softball and baseball would both be played on the fields at BCHS. Discussions had been ongoing with recreation director Mark Nelson about using the fields near VES for softball games.
"Travel will be a problem," said Dent. In addition, scheduling could be an issue if games are postponed due to weather. "After much consideration, we are going to play at the high school."
Dent said he and the coaches were going to take into consideration the safety of spectators and players. No bleachers will be put between the softball and baseball fields, he said.
In the past, there has been considerable concern a foul ball hit on one field might strike a spectator watching a game on the other field. Dent said removing the bleachers between the fields should help. The coaches have been installing fencing around the fields too, Dent said.
The board voted to "support whatever Dent recommends," as phrased by Waldeck. Softball will be played on the field at BCHS.
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