Daniel Prince
Maintenance Department will start work on projects as soon as spring break
At the Union County School Board budget workshop Monday, the board heard many of the details of the proposed five-year capital projects plan. Maintenance Director Mark Haney talked about many of the projects that his department will be undertaking in the coming year and the next few years. With the coming modified schedule, the board will be asked to approve the capital projects plan at the February regular board meeting, so his department can begin work on some of the projects as soon as spring break of this year. The summer break has been shortened by the new schedule, and his department will be working throughout the year on various projects.
Some of the safety and security projects that the department will take on this year if the plan is approved is to put in new door locks inside at Monarch and Foster Park. They plan to do a good bit of tree trimming and tree removal districtwide. They plan to add alarms to the portable classrooms at Monarch. They will be implementing a weapons detection system at the middle school and high school levels. Director of Administration Eric Childers said they are looking at two different systems, one called Evolv and the other called Open Gate. The systems would be in place at multiple entrances at the schools. More information on this will come later. They plan to do some work on fencing at Jonesville and at the track and soccer field at the high school. One major project will address the playgrounds across the district, all of which are out of insurance compliance for fall protection. They will be adding additional fall protection measures and replacing borders with approved products. They will redo the exterior stairs on the 4th and 5th-grade wing at Foster Park that leads outside toward the lake. Haney said the steps are far out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. He was made aware of a student with mobility issues who could not safely navigate those stairs during a fire drill. They will also make a hydraulic repair to the elevator at Union County High School.
There are many more projects covering other areas, such as technology and instruction, student activities, recurring capital maintenance and replacement, and the like. In all, $3,767,040 is available for capital projects this year, with around $1 million added each year. The maintenance department is proposing spending $1,695,400 on projects this coming year, with a five-year total of $7,265,900.
We’ll have more from the meeting in future newscasts.