Building officials on site as progress continues on school project
LAUREL — The architect for Laurel-Concord-Coleridge Schools’ new building were on site earlier this month as progress continues on design development of the project.
Representatives from CWP Architects were on site along with an electrical engineer, deputy state fire marshal and a kitchen design specialist to meet with select staff and tour and inspect campus facilities Oct. 8. The architect and structural engineer were on site Oct. 11 for inspections and planning.
Soil sampling has also been completed with a report and recommendations forwarded to CWP and Hausmann Construction, the construction manager.
The bond issuance and the lease purchase loans were closed Sept. 30. All funds have been received, deposited and distributed as necessary.
The Project Accountability and Design Committee met the first time late last month. The group includes 25 people representing the school board, administration, faculty and staff, students and community members. All information coming from the committee is posted at the Building for the Future website (www. buildingforthefuturelcc. com) under the Updates tab.
Updates were provided to the LCC School Board as part of its regular meeting last week.
As part of the meeting, Superintendent Jeremy Christiansen also told board members about issues related to handicapped-accessible transportation for students using wheelchairs.
The district had been relying on a Ford Econoline cargo van with an installed wheelchair lift.
However, the hydraulic system failed on the lift and the district has been unsuccessful in finding replacement parts.
The only other vehicle with a lift system is the 11-year-old minibus but the automatic lift functions have not worked for some time on that vehicle.
There is a manual crank option but it is not feasible with a heavy power wheelchair, Christiansen said.
“I am conducting research on replacement vehicle options and availability. A new minibus order would likely not arrive until next spring, so I am also looking at used vehicle options,’’ he said.
School board members also:
- Heard an update on the district’s annual audit. The audit was complete Sept. 28 with board members to receive a written summary of findings.
- Approved increasing the district’s umbrella insurance policy from $2 million to $5 million following an annual review.
- Approved the use of the Nebraska Association of School Boards’ (NASB) digital tool for superintendent evaluation.
- Entered into interlocal agreement with Wynot for distance learning and Hartington-Newcastle for special education services.
- Approved Board Member Jay Hall as the NASB delegate.
- Heard a report from Middle School Principal Mark Leonard about Suicide Prevention Month (September) and Bullying Prevention Month (October); parent-teacher conference attendance; school safety drills and training; upcoming and past student activities. The Middle School is also in the process of collecting and analyzing this year’s PowerSchool data to make sure fall school documentation is accurate with the Nebraska Department of Education.
- Heard a report from High School Principal Ken Swanson about parent-teacher conference attendance; upcoming and past student activities; dual credit enrollment; and school safety training including active shooter drills.
- Heard a report from Elementary Principal Paige Parsons about upcoming and past student activities; reading interventions; past and upcoming staff trainings; math curriculum updates; and the para-educator appraisal process.
- Heard an update about ongoing Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments for all students.
The assessments determine the instructional level where students are performing.
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