Watonga School Board Approves New Teacher Lot

WATONGA – The Watonga Public Schools Board of Education voted Monday to accept a bid to build a new parking lot on the southwest corner of the middle school building.

The lot is intended for staff and teachers, and is part of a wider series of upgrades the district is planning around the bond issue that locals will vote on this Feb. 8.

The winning bid, from Watonga vendor Jones Concrete Construction, is $230,000 for a 100 ft. by 200 ft. lot with 44 spaces, one handicap spot, a sidewalk and two entry/exit zones.

The lot will be paid for ei ther from the district’s building fund or general fund, Superintendent Kyle Hilterbran said, and is not funded by the bond issue. Accepting the bid does not require the lot to be built, he said, if the bond fails; the project could be reevaluated at that point.

But Hilterbran said voting it through would show the community that the district is investing in itself, in addition to the support it is asking for.

“The reason why we’re approving it at this meeting and not our next one is, we want to be on top of it,” Hilterbran told the board. “We want to be ready to move once the bond is passed to be able to start the parking lot. We can push it back, but then we’re going to have to wait a whole month. … We know we don’t have to do it, but we are setting ourselves up for what’s going to happen in our capital improvement plan after the bond.”

The next day at Watonga’s home basketball games against Hennessey, Hilterbran and board member Dwight McGee were in the lobby to answer questions about the bond, encourage locals to vote and display renderings of the proposed new structures. Another Q&A session will occur during the basketball games on Jan. 25.

The district is seeking nearly $20 million for a new gymnasium; a concession stand facility with restrooms, weight rooms and locker rooms; and an elementary school cafeteria.

The project would also add STEM labs on both school campuses and include upgrades to parking and other facilities.

K9s to Visit Campus

The Jan. 10 board meeting was attended by all members, including board president Aaron Clewell and Shawn Cox, Mayra Flynn, McGee and Andy Wigington. In addition to authorizing the parking lot, the board also approved a field trip for the wrestling team to Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 12.

The wrestlers will attend the “Bout at the Ballpark” that day at Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers. The event will include a dual meet between Iowa and Oklahoma State, and the senior national teams of the United States and Iran.

Eagles Coach Grant Williams will be among the officials for that contest.

At the end of the meeting, the board met in executive session and offered Hilterbran a new three-year contract.

During principals’ reports earlier, Watonga High Principal Todd Overstreet said the district has partnered with Interquest Detection Canines to visit the middle school and high school on three random days each semester. Interquest uses primarily retrievers who can detect drugs, alcohol, commonly abused medications and even firearms.

Students attended an assembly on Monday where they learned about Interquest and its methods, and were able to ask questions.

“I think it was received really well by everyone,” Overstreet said. The district will get police involved if Interquest dogs discover illegal or dangerous items during searches, he said.