Lincoln firm hired for elementary school renovation, construction project

McCook Public Schools' board of education Monday approved the contract with Bahr Vermeer Haecker of Lincoln to design the renovation and new construction of McCook's voter-approved single-site elementary school.

Superintendent Dr. Don Marchant told board members during their regular board meeting that the district's legal counsel has reviewed the contract, and he recommends signing.

BVH will be paid 12 percent of the cost of renovating the existing North Ward Elementary into preschool, kindergarten and first grade classrooms; and 7.5 percent of the cost of the new construction that will create new second and third grade classrooms.

Reimbursable expenses will include transportation, postage and professional liability insurance dedicated exclusively to the McCook project.

The renovation/construction project will cost $5.8 million.

Dr. Marchant told board members that North Ward's three modular classrooms will be moved to the front lawn, probably starting next week, and should be ready before class starts Aug. 19.

Dr. Marchant also said the proposed maintenance shed at Weiland Field will proceed as planned. The $25,000 needed for the project -- all donated funds -- is available, the superintendent said.

The building will be constructed at no cost to district tax payers, Dr. Marchant said.

If McCook Community College should decide at an area board meeting July 28 to participate in the project, Dr. Marchant said, the building could be built larger.

Dr. Marchant also reported that the school district will participate in a table top exercise in September to plan the district's response to a terrorist attack.

"We hope something like this never happens," Dr. Marchant said, "Yet, we need to be prepared."

In other action:

* The board accepted, with gratitude for 22 years served, the resignation of Jane Jones, sixth grade social studies teacher at Central Elementary. Jones said in her letter of resignation that she and her family are moving to Bellevue.

* The board approved contracts for Dana Juenemann of Selden, language arts, speech and drama; and Eileen Young and Raymond Walter, both of McCook, special education. Young and Walter are not endorsed in special education, Special Education Director Bob Saf said, but they will teach on a one-year waiver approved by the Nebraska Department of Education.

* The board approved the district's "Safe Pupil Transportation Plan," which includes board policies for bus safety programs and bus driver supervision (approved on second reading during the board's consent agenda), and a handbook written by the Nebraska Association of School Boards.

* The board discussed personnel and negotiations in closed session.

* Programs Committee members Jack Clark and Dawn Andersen briefly discussed the education of students on in-school suspension. "We have to serve them," Andersen said, yet removing them from traditional classrooms would be a benefit both to the suspended students and to the remainder of the student body.