By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
Gary Field’s stadium will be getting a facelift after the Colonel Crawford Board of Education approved installation of handicapped-accessible bleachers.
Board members unanimously approved the Farnham Company as the vendor for the installation project which has an estimated cost of $42,000. The ramp will be 48 inches wide and will start on the north side of the bleachers and wrap around to the front side for seating.
Superintendent Todd Martin gave a time line for the renovation project.
“The plans have taken so long and the ordering of the structure itself to add to the stadium,” Martin said “November is going to be the timeline. Once football is done we will have some time to get in there and start putting in concrete, have some time uninterrupted so it should be ready in time for track season.”
During the meeting Martin noted that there is one slight drawback to the stadium revamp.
“The only problem is we lose the first row of seating due to the age of the bleachers,” Martin said. “It has been a lot of work to do to get this right. Now it is in the hand of the Office of Civil Rights.”
“When it is done I think it will make everyone happy,” Martin concluded.
During his report Martin explained that H.B. 269 is wrapping up now and that he attended a class on how to run the boiler systems.
“It will be highly unlikely that all three will run at once. The boilers run in cycles of 10 days,” Martin explained. “The life expectancy will be far and above what they normally would. They are fuel efficient it is amazing what the boilers can do.”
Martin noted that the boiler pumps and the hot water pumps will operate in a similar manner to extend their lives as well.
The board approved all items on the consent agenda including a partnership with Hocking College for College Credit Plus for psychology, sociology, physics, statistics, trigonometry, computer science, and Calculus 1 and 2 for the 2015-2016 school year.
Board members also approved sharing the services of food service coordinator Keri Wilhite with the Crestline Exempted Village School District.
The school board approved the expenditure of student activity funds for the purpose of sponsoring a student with special needs to a Pittsburgh Steelers home game, and to donate any surplus monies left to the Children’s Hospital. The move is to serve the purpose of encouraging students to be involved with charitable activities within their communities.
William Crawford Intermediate Principal April Bond gave a presentation on a possible field trip for future eighth grade classes.
“We have seen a lot of other districts do this type of field trip,” Bond said. “I researched by talking with Shelby and Buckeye Central. I have managed to find a trip that would be two days and three nights that would cost $280 per student. Currently I am looking at fundraisers to try to keep it economical.”
Bond noted that to cut costs of a hotel the field trip would begin at 10 p.m. and drive through the night to the nation’s capital. Bond said she expects 70-plus students with 16 to19 chaperons for the trip.”
While the board didn’t vote on the trip Monday night they were receptive of the idea with Board President Tim Ley saying that this type of trip would be one that student would remember for the rest of their lives.
The Boy Scout Troop 106 led the Colonel Crawford school board in the Pledge of Allegiance.