JERRY CITY – Elmwood Schools continues to move forward with its plans to upgrade technology and add a new
band room.
Superintendent Tony Borton told the school board Monday that plans are going forward for three of the
four projects he introduced in February.
At that time, he said he’d like the district to construct a new band room, update the infrastructure for
technology, improve the energy efficiency of outside lights, and repair parking lots.
Borton is still working on his estimated costs of the projects and has not gone to bid for any of them,
but he suspects the district will hold off on repairing the parking lots.
He estimated the addition of a new 4,200-square-foot band room at the end of the north wing will cost
$900,000.
Updating the building’s core technology capabilities will cost about $400,000.
Changing 120 outdoor light fixtures to LED lights with dimmers and motion sensors would cost about
$100,000, but the district would recoup that cost in five to 10 years from the electricity savings.
The estimated cost of repaving and restriping the parking lots is $50,000.
He said work on the band room likely won’t start until mid-summer with completion in September.
The addition will be large enough to accommodate the approximate 75 members in band, and take care of the
noise level that is dangerously high for students and teachers in the current band room.
Borton said he hopes to get work on upgrading technology started in April.
The board approved a resolution to set qualifications for an architect/engineer for the band room.
The district also agreed to a lease-purchase agreement to finance all improvements.
Ross, Sinclaire and Associates, of Columbus, will serve as financial advisors.
The lease-purchase agreement will have the Columbus firm sell bonds to allow the district to fund the
improvements.
The certificate of participation that was approved will work the same as a voted bond issue, but will be
unvoted, explained Borton. He said the district will make payments through July 1, 2023.
Borton explained, however, that the technology project will be paid for in five years, and the facility
improvements in 10 years.
The amount to be financed will not exceed $1.58 million, and the projects will be paid out of the general
operating budget.
The board also retained the legal services of Peck, Shaffer and Williams as the district’s construction
attorney. The firm will be used on an as-needed and as-requested basis.
Also at the meeting, the board:
• Heard an update to the district’s five-year financial forecast. Treasurer LuAnn Vanek said that her
estimated year-end cash balance for June 30, 2018 is $1.398 million, up from the $1.052 million estimate
she gave the board in October. Payments on the lease-purchase agreement were not part of her
calculations.
• Accepted donations from Findlay Plumbing and Heating for 24 shower heads, $720; the Elmwood PTO for a
new interactive projector for Diana Hoffman’s third-grade classroom, $2,867; and from the Athletic
Boosters for new windscreen and replacement pants for the baseball team, $2,962, and the softball team,
$2,632.90.
• Approved a two-year contract for Gregg Abke as facilities and grounds supervisor.
• Sold 0.096 acres of donated land at 7020 Eagleville Road, near the intersection of Emerson Road, to a
mother-son duo from Findlay. The district received the parcel about a year ago from an area bank when
the land was going into foreclosure.