Abby makes progress on pool, shelter
Superintendent Sherry Baker told the Abbotsford School Board Monday that two major district projects have received strong public support, as shown by signifi cant donations from members of the community and area businesses to help offset the cost of construction.
Repairs to the high school’s nearly 50-year-old pool will be entirely the district’s responsibility, but a planned storm shelter/multi-purpose dome will receive partial funding from FEMA.
“The grant is in excess of $2 million, and we would never dream of doing a project like this without that kind of federal funding,” Baker said.
Baker informed the board that the district is still in a holding pattern to receive federal funds for the storm shelter, but she said the bill had passed through the House of Representatives, and “should be approved any day now.”
The district hopes to start repairs on the pool soon, but Mason Rachu, the district’s maintenance supervisor, and Baker said that construction will most likely be delayed through the spring.
The pool repair plans have been submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Abby
Safety and Professional Services.
“We are waiting for that to come back, and then the RFP (requests for proposals) would be sent out,” Baker said. “As soon as the state stamps the plans, sends them back, and says everything is looking good, then it goes to RFP, and we will be sending that out hopefully sometime in the next two to three weeks.”
Once the state gives approval to the plans designed by engineering firm Ramaker & Associates, repairs can begin, with an expected start date of late June or early July.
Baker said the process is slow and stems from extra layers of bureaucracy and paperwork that need to be done in order for the pool to be brought up to federal codes and regulations that did not exist 46 years ago.
Other delays are due to the removal of a small amount of asbestos and the removal of the facility’s deck tiles.
“This is the painful part of this, as it takes so long to get there because there’s so many requirements and statutes that have to be complied with,” Baker said.
Information on both projects and their time-lines can be found on the district’s Facebook page and website.
Baker did share some good news, telling the board that the district’s fund raising efforts have met with success.
In addition to Mary Nikolay’s donation of $100,000, the district has received another $25,000 towards the pool repairs.
Dave Hediger, the owner of Abby County Market, donated $10,000 and so have Jim and Jennifer Jakel. Anne Teska has contributed $5,000.
Forward Bank and the Abbotsford Education Foundation have pledged a combined $150,000 towards the storm shelter’s completion.
“So, money is coming in,” Baker said. “That’s an awesome start. So that $700,000 loan, to put it into perspective, is already down to $575,000.”
Board members, along with Baker, will be touring the Spencer School District’s dome on Wednesday, which is also being built with partial FEMA funding. The exterior of Spencer’s dome is finished, with the interior under construction.
“It is quite a structure to behold,” Baker said. “You look at it and you get a real understanding of how that can withstand a very high intensity tornado.”
HVAC system to get new units
The district’s heating and air conditioning system will see a sizeable upgrade after the board voted to use COVID relief money from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund to purchase HVAC units for middle and high school classrooms that don’t already have new units.
“We’ve been talking about projects that we can use with the ESSER II grant, and one thing that does apply would be an HVAC that gets more circulation of fresh air, and that includes air conditioning,” Rachu said.
The district has been adding new units in classrooms every year, but Rachu said that cost comes directly out of the district’s general fund.
“We’re thinking with that money we can knock just about the rest of the middle school and high school classrooms out,” he said.
Rachu told the board that approving the purchase now is in the best interest of the district since the cost of each unit will go up due to an increase in copper prices after Friday.
“If we order this week we get locked in at the old price,” he said. “We would just store them here, and depending on when they come in, we could get some knocked out this summer, and then more during breaks like Christmas.”
The total cost of the project would be around $285,000, with the HVAC units costing $105,000, installation at $160,000 and another $20,000 to pay for electrical and wiring costs.
“What we’re proposing is we get the units, and then we have them, and start installing them when we can,” Baker told the board. “It’s a blessing in disguise. As you know, the ESSER money, we have a narrow pathway to follow in order to spend those funds, and this one falls right into it. I really feel the board needs to approve this.”
Other business
_ The district accepted the resignations of Shanna Hackel as board member/ clerk, Dean Bellanti as middle school/high school social studies teacher and Yenifer Garcia as a bilingual aide.
_ The board approved the hiring of Matt Cihlar as a volunteer track coach for the 2021 spring season.
_ The board approved May 23 as an alternate graduation date in the event of inclement weather for the regularly scheduled date of May 22, which will be held outdoors.
_ The board voted to renew the Abbotsford/ Colby wrestling co-op for 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons.
_ The board approved a resolution to pursue an instruction waiver from the Wisconsin DPI due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the 2020-21 academic calendar.
