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Wood County Board of Education to take up stadiums again Saturday

PARKERSBURG — The Wood County Board of Education meets in special session Saturday to again consider a motion to pay for new bathrooms at Erickson All-Sports Facility as well as more than a million dollars in additional projects at the district’s three high school athletic facilities.

The meeting will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Wood County Schools central office at 13th and Plum streets in Parkersburg. The meeting is open to the public, but those wishing to address the board must fill out and submit a comment card prior to the start of the meeting.

Board President Lawrence Hasbargen said he requested the facility items be placed on Saturday’s agenda and he has been working with Wood County Schools Finance Director Whitni Kines to make sure there are sufficient funds to cover those projects.

“We’re trying to get our finances organized so we can arrange some long-term plans,” he said Thursday. “She believes she has come up with a way to approve some of the improvements the superintendent was suggesting be made to the stadiums.”

The board Saturday will be asked to approve:

* A lease-purchase agreement not to exceed $500,000 to replace artificial turf at Stadium Field.

* Using general funds to replace tennis courts at Erickson at a cost of $300,000.

* Using general funds to replace the track at Williamstown High School at a cost of $250,000.

* Using general funds to construct restrooms at Erickson at a cost of $700,000.

Additionally, the board will be asked to approve changes to the reimbursement resolution approved last week. The resolution allows the board to begin spending money from the district’s general fund on items that would be covered under a lease purchase agreement and to reimburse those funds when a lease purchase agreement is signed.

The reimbursement agreement to be presented Saturday specifies:

* Costs associated with replacing heating and air conditioning systems (HVAC) in three Emerson Elementary School classrooms, four classrooms at Franklin Elementary Center, four classrooms at Martin Elementary School and at the Parkersburg High School auxiliary gym.

* A new platform lift chair at Franklin Elementary Center.

* Artificial turf at Stadium Field.

* HVAC equipment, equipment and fixture for the bathrooms at Erickson.

* Any architectural and engineering fees associated with those projects.

The agreement also places an expenditure cap on the projects of $1.5 million.

Hasbargen said items such as the tracks and tennis courts would use only general funds because they do not qualify for lease-purchase agreements. Hasbargen said using lease-purchase for equipment and turf will allow the school system to make payments while having cash in reserve in case of an emergency.

“We need to make sure we have the funds on-hand to operate the school system and so if an emergency arises we can fix it,” he said.

Hasbargen said he will call for a vote on all of the items at Saturday’s meeting.

Board members “are going to have to vote up or down,” Hasbargen said. “I want to get these things behind us so we can concentrate on the needs of students and academics.”

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