Othello School Board talks tennis courts
Cheryl Schweizer <Staff Writer> | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 years, 8 months AGO
OTHELLO — Portable classrooms, tennis courts and a survey where district patrons can give their opinions of the Othello School Board and the job its members are doing were the topics of discussion at the regular board meeting Monday.
The school board survey is on the district’s website and Facebook page. The survey includes 23 questions, asking what district patrons think of the board’s performance and its policies. Board member Tony Ashton said there had been a good response from teachers, but less interest from district patrons.
The survey asks whether district patrons think board members make the needs of students the priority, whether the board considers the possible good and bad effects of its decisions, whether they consult different groups in the community, especially when a decision is controversial. The survey will be posted on the website until May 4.
In other business, board members discussed a preliminary plan for new tennis courts at Othello High School. The board asked for two design options, four courts or six.
The design is complicated by the location of an underground gas tank and aboveground pump. Board member Rob Simmons asked why the gas tank is still there, since the district’s bus garage has been moved. Assistant superintendent Gina Bullis said district officials had researched the cost of removing the underground tanks, when the new transportation center was built, and found it to be prohibitive.
“What you need to do to vacate the pumps is pretty expensive,” Bullis said.
“I’d be interested to know what that cost would be,” Simmons said. Bullis said that information would be made available.
Board members discussed the location of two new portable classrooms at McFarland Middle School. The two will be close to the middle school softball field, if city officials approve the plan, Bullis said, and will be installed for the 2017-18 school year.
The existing middle school was short one classroom, Bullis said, and one class would’ve been forced to meet in the multipurpose room. The location, while it’s close to the softball field, met the approval of McFarland administrators.
District officials had looked at another location, but it was on land belonging to the Nazarene Church of Othello. While the church congregation was willing to let the school use the land, the location chosen uses district-owned land, Bullis said.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER <STAFF WRITER>
Othello School Board approves property purchase
OTHELLO — The Othello School Board has approved an agreement to purchase 81.14 acres of land along 14th Street and Lee Road. The district will pay $2.4 million to the current owner, Terra Gold Farms. The draft agreement was approved during the regular board meeting Monday. The land is located at Lee Road between Seventh and 14th streets. Assistant superintendent Gina Bullis said there are no plans to build on the property now, but district officials plan to keep it as a site for any additional schools. The sale should be completed by the end of January. In other business, a discussion of a site visit to Wahitis Elementary prompted questions about traffic on 14th Street. Construction closed part of 14th Street during the spring, summer and fall, including the stretch in front of Wahitis Elementary. Prior to construction the road had a four-way stop outside Scootney Springs Elementary, but the stop signs were removed during construction and haven’t been replaced. Board member Juan Garza said he had received inquiries about the stop signs, and whether they would be reinstalled. “It sounds to me like they (the stop sign removals) are permanent, right? It’s going to stay that way.” Bullis said she had received inquiries too, and had asked city officials about them, including a question at the Othello City Council meeting earlier Monday evening. City manager Wade Faris told her, Bullis said, the city wasn’t required to reinstall them. The original purpose was to eliminate some of the congestion on 14th, Cemetery and Ash streets when kids and parents were coming and going from Scootney Springs. City officials think the extra lanes will accommodate any congestion, she said. Board member Mike Garza said the stop signs were installed as the result of a traffic study conducted by the district at the city’s request. He asked if the city had done an additional traffic study prior to removal. Bullis said city officials didn’t give a reason for the change. Mike Garza also asked if city officials planned to paint crosswalks across 14th Street at Wahitis Elementary. “I noticed there are no crosswalk designations across 14th” at the school, he said. Bullis said she would ask city officials.
Othello School District land purchase moves ahead
OTHELLO — The Othello School Board is scheduled to review a draft purchase and sale agreement for 78 acres of property along Lee Road at its Oct. 10 meeting.
Othello School Board discusses 14th Street with city officials
OTHELLO — Traffic, traffic flow and pedestrian safety, especially for elementary students, were the subjects of a lengthy discussion at the Othello School Board meeting Monday.