Public input sought on N.B school design

0

NORTH BALTIMORE – The North Baltimore Board of Education is ready to start the second step of its
preliminary work to build its new middle/high school, gathering recommendations for its design from
people within the town.
Local residents, school staff and administrators, students, parents, business people and board members
will make up a 20-plus member official "Design Team" to begin gathering ideas for the
architectural plan of the building.
During the board’s meeting Tuesday, Superintendent Kyle Clark announced the first meeting of the Design
Team is scheduled for Aug. 4.
The team will serve as an advisory group to make design recommendations to the board. Its work will
include holding public meetings to hear from residents what they would like to see in the new building.

"That’s where we’ll be engaging all the community who want to speak, residents, teachers, students.
Your community is going to design this building," he said. "This is our community, and this is
our project to get it done."
The team will begin meeting once a "numbers worksheet" has been completed by the CORE Team,
made up of representatives from the Ohio School Facilities Commission and the construction manager of
Lathrop-Turner, along with school and district administrators.
After the meeting Clark expanded on the make-up of the Design Team. He said the district is currently
seeking volunteers for the group as well as sending out invitations to persons who are being asked to
join it. Clark expects the team to meet frequently throughout fall and "hopefully wrap up in
November or December." After that, the architect will begin drawings to incorporate recommended
aspects of the design.
Treasurer Eve Baldwin gave a summary of the district’s finances at the end of fiscal year 2009 which
ended June 30. She said revenue was at 102 percent (of expectation), due, in part, to an increase in
students in the district, and expenditures were at 98 percent (of expectation). She praised teachers,
staff and custodians for keeping their expenses low.
She praised it as "a very good year-end report for this district."
The board approved a continuation of its agreement with the North Baltimore Police Department for police
and security protection for the schools and events at a cost of $2,500. Clark said the department
provides police officers at football and basketball games for crowd control after which the district
reimburses it.
The cost of school lunches will stay the same for the coming school, $2.25 for K-12, $2.75 for adults and
ala carte main items for $1.75.
Members approved a request for the band to travel to Cleveland and Cedar Point on May 14 and 15, 2010,
with the costs to be raised by the Band Boosters and band student activity account. It also gave the
green light for the middle school to travel to Washington, D.C. in the spring of 2011 with funds raised
through the middle school’s activity account.
Three resolutions were approved for funding of the building project: Issuance and sale of bonds for
$7,986,000, the amount approved in May for the property tax millage; a roll-over of $1,670,000 in notes
for the renovation of Powell Elementary School which will be combined with the $7,986,000; and the
issuance and sale of bonds for $2,010,000 for the new school, the amount approved by voters from the
income tax issue.
Clark noted residents can invest and buy bonds for the school.
The board will meet on Aug. 25 in the community room of the North Baltimore Public Library and scheduled
its September meeting for the 29th.
The board held an executive session to discuss the purchase of property, after which no action was to be
taken.

No posts to display