Unit 40 Board Approves Summer Projects

Effingham Unit 40 school board members Monday authorized spending up to $327,000 for four projects targeted for completion this summer.

One of the projects will be a long-discussed restroom facility for the EHS athletic complex. The restrooms will be located in the area between a maintenance building and the tennis courts, estimated to cost $57,000. Unit 40 Assistant Superintendent Rem Woodruff said an existing sewer line will lessen the cost of the project. 

Board member Steve Bone, who also is an Effingham Sportsbackers officer, wondered whether a facility farther west would provide additional space for a throwing and hitting facility adjoining the restrooms. The cost would be more than $300,000. Bone suggested the Sportsbackers could work to secure the additional funds needed for the project, but other Board members preferred to move ahead and get restrooms in place. The project has been discussed for several years.

Also approved was a replacement districtwide phone system, eliminating a system between 15 and 20 years old. The $176,000 system will replace a system that actually cost more than the new system will cost.

Another project will be "virtualization" of the district's computer network, going from 21 servers to two, at a cost of $50,000.

The fourth project involves replacing the wide area network that serves the district and operates the district's HVAC and security systems at a cost of up to $50,000.

Still to be discussed further is a project to replace leaky windows at the Unit 40 office building on South Banker. There was discussion over replacing all of the windows but making many of them stationary windows, and also of bricking up some of the windows. No decision was reached.

Still another project raised by Superintendent Mark Doan was addressing the traffic tieups experienced each morning and afternoon at Central School. Doan said Central Principal Amy Niebrugge and Assistant Principal Todd Schuette are working on options, including sending those picking up students to the back of the building and running buses through the front parking lot. It's still just an option being considered, but Doan said it might be tried during the fourth quarter. Petitioning for stop signs was mentioned by Board Member Carol Ruffner, and Board Member Del Soltwedel wondered why so many people feel the need to transport their students to and from school? Ruffner noted that not everyone who does that is just trying to save their kids some bus time; often it's to get to a doctor's appointment or to a practice.

The Unit 40 Board Monday also agreed to take bids on the sale of two used vans, and agreed to let a project for bids to repair the roof over the small gym at Effingham High School. A portion of the roof is tenting. Woodruff said the project is estimated to cost $60,000 if the existing insulation can be reused. Woodruff will also petition for health and life safety funds to be used on the project.

The Board also set Effingham High School graduation for Sunday, May 17 at 1:30pm. That means final exams will be taken after graduation.