Spending $3 million in less than an hour might seem like a tall order, but Monday night in regular session, the Watonga School Board made it look easy.
There were a few other matters at hand before the expenditures came up. Superintendent Kyle Hilterbran informed his board the schools had finished up semester testing and things were moving ahead pretty well. The administration is working, he said, on the schedule for next year (2024-25) and is considering tweaking the holiday closure so that students don’t return to school as quickly as this year. It may be possible because New Year’s Day is on a Wednesday, whereas in 2023 it was a Monday.
The construction update indicated the elementary school cafeteria may be ready for use by the end of January, provided a tardy set of doors arrives. “It is going to be a super-nice facility,” Hilterbran said.
Board member Aaron Clewell asked whether there might be enough wiggle room in the project budget to extend streetlights the entire length of the school block on the Leach Avenue side.
His hope was since there were already electricians on site, that company might consider installing the lights at a lower rate than if they had to make a special trip.
Hilterbran, though, said that lighting might not be required once the parking area was revamped and even if it were still needed, construction would be ongoing at the high school.
He said there are quotes being sought on the glass, lighting and doors at the high school gym and the lights at the elementary could be installed as part of that project, should it be necessary.
The board also accepted the general fund encumbrances for the month, totaling $3,012,140. Of that figure, though, some $3 million is for replacement or repair of multiple roof structures damaged in summer storms last year. Those funds were from the insurance settlement that has already been received.
Should other items need to be replaced or repaired, such as roofdwelling air conditioning units, there are additional funds available for that contingency.