A public meeting is planned for next Thursday night, during which time members of the Spickard R-2 Board of Education will make decisions as to the future of the Spickard R-2 School District, including whether or not a new facility will be constructed.
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A public meeting is planned for next Thursday night, during which time members of the Spickard R-2 Board of Education will make decisions as to the future of the Spickard R-2 School District, including whether or not a new facility will be constructed.
Superintendent Dr. Gene Adkison said the board will meet Aug. 19 to discuss issues concerning the school, which has been closed for public use since July due to the collapse of a basement wall. Board members on Wednesday night met with Rob Porter, a structural engineer with the St. Louis firm of Porter Engineering, who provided preliminary information on what he, Robert Trickel of Trickel Construction and Frank Halsey of Mid-Continent Restoration found during an inspection of the structure on Wednesday. According to Dr. Adkison, the district has been given the go-ahead to use the cafeteria area and has been told that with some work, the gymnasium of the building could be ready for use as early as 30 days from now. Dr. Adkison said the district is planning to use the cafeteria to prepare meals for students, which would then be taken to the facilities that would be used to house classes during the coming school year.
Just what facilities will be used by the students has yet to be determined, although Dr. Adkison said that representatives from the First Baptist Church have already offered use of its building for classes. The board is scheduled to meet with representatives from the Christian and Methodist churches next Thursday night prior to the public meeting to see if those buildings might be able to be used by the district as well. Dr. Adkison noted that both buildings are within two blocks of the school building and would make it easier for students to utilize the school building when needed.
In the meantime, the board will be mulling over just what to do about future facilities and Dr. Adkison said a couple of options include renovation of the present building, which is expected to cost several thousand dollars, or construction of a new basic facility, which has been estimated could cost in the neighborhood of $600,000. Dr. Adkison said that no matter what the board decides, a bond issue will most likely be required to pay for the work as the district does not have enough operating funds available.
Because the district has only a bonding capacity of around $430,000, new construction could include a plan in which the facility would be built in phases, Dr. Adkison said. The first phase, which is estimated at around $250,000, would include basic classroom space and that the current cafeteria and gymnasium would continue to be used. Payments could be amortized over a 10-year period and then, once the principal is paid, the board could come back and ask for another bond issue to pay for a new gymnasium and cafeteria.
Dr. Adkison said the board is still planning a November vote on the issue and hopes to have plans and cost estimates available sometime before a special meeting planned for Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Chuckwagon Cafe. That meeting, which has been billed as a work session, will involve discussion by the board as to the options available and Dr. Adkison said the board hopes to have a recommendation in place to present at Thursday’s public meeting.
Dr. Adkison said that patrons have been very optimistic in their approach to the situation and he believes that the a workable solution can be obtained. In the meantime, the school district is still looking for personnel to complete its staff for the new school year, which begins Sept. 7. Part-time teachers are being sought for music, art and physical education as well as to provide counseling services. A special education aide and general aide for grades K-8 are also still needed. Dr. Adkison said that a contingency plan is ready if those vacancies are not filled prior to the start of classes.