The Okmulgee Public School Board of Education met on Tuesday to discuss a bond issue that aims to address some structural improvements at several sites, including safety improvements to the primary, middle, and high schools as well as the football stadium.
Jay T. Boynton with BWA Architects went over some of the specifics of the bond measure with the board and said he met with site administrators over the last few months to look into the specific needs of each location and understand what to prioritize in the bond issue.
Harmon Stadium improve- ments include replacing the concrete bleachers, resurfacing the track, and redoing the turf–which Boynton stated was nearing the end of its lifecycle. Board member Mike James also asked about the walk areas near the top of the stadium, and Boynton said that while he didn’t account for that in the current proposal, it can still be included.
The primary school is looking to add a 7,600-square-foot building that would act as both a gym and a FEMA-certified storm shelter. Boynton added that this would be a physical education gym more than a competitive gym, and the shelter would fit around 900 people. He also said that they could address current draining issues at the site when the building is added and include repairs to the roof.
Dunbar improvements include repairs to fix a sinkhole in the front half of the parking lot, and the addition of a Special Education area to meet the needs of the students on that campus.
Boynton said that while previously doing flood repairs at the high school, “we went ahead and took that opportunity to develop a special education center … and we want to transfer those functions over to the Dunbar middle school.”
Renovations to the tennis courts at Dunbar and reinstalling basketball goals there for multipurpose use were listed.
Improvements to the high school, including making it watertight, were mentioned also.
“When you hear me talking about cost, I’m talking about project costs,” Boynton noted while giving some estimated costs to the board. “I want to make sure that I give you a full picture of all the estimates. So that is not just construction costs, it is an all-in cost.” He said he hopes that being conservative in his budget will allow the school to afford more of the proposed improvements.
Heather Reichert, Vice President of Stephen H. McDonald & Associates, Inc., spoke to the board about payment and financing options for the bond issue, reminding them that the deadline to file is Dec. 14. The board did approve the employment of Stephen H. McDonald & Associates, Inc., as a financial consultant to the school district.
Reichart also said that the board would need to hold another meeting where she would bring a separate resolution “that will encompass what the projects are and the amount and time frame to be funded.”
That will take place during their regular meeting scheduled for Dec. 12.
The board approved the calling and holding of a special election to be held in the district to authorize the issuance of the bonds. They then approved the selection of Key Construction to contract with for the bond issue projects.
Board President Rod Wiemer said that on the last bond issue, there was a “progress as promised” website to let the public know where their money is going, and Boynton said that Key Construction would be happy to provide videos and pictures of their daily progress.
Later in the meeting, the purchase of plan time for Candi Padfield was approved. Superintendent Rene Dove said that Padfield is giving up her planning period to continue working with the students in her classroom.
Lastly, the board voted to approve the engagement of the OSSBA search service in the process of finding the next Superintendent, following Superintendent Dove’s retirement at the end of the academic year.
