By Ammie Ruddle
At the Pendleton County Board of Education meeting on June 7, Tim Johnson, director of administrative and support services, announced the completion of an $8 million dollar project that included a new heating and air conditioning unit at the Pendleton County Middle/High School and new roofs for all the education buildings in the county. However, construction doesn’t stop there.
Johnson also provided an update on summer construction plans. PCMHS will “hopefully” receive a new freezer unit, according to Johnson. “It (the freezer) is dependent on if the parts come in on time.”
While the cleaning crews conduct their annual strip, wax, wash and clean of all rooms in every school in the county, padding and paving will be underway. “PCMHS auxiliary gym will be receiving some new three-quarter inch fireproof boards because they were just looking bad,” Johnson said.
“We are getting ready to pad under the basketball rims at North Fork Elementary School and we’re going to pad the rest of the auxiliary gym so they will be completely around,” he said. “Seven and 1/2 foot padding replace is the padding under the basketball rim in the gymnasium.” The padding will protect the walls from objects such as a basketball, as well as protect children if they run into the wall.
The second job Johnson announced is the paving of the road next to the cemetery which “is pretty rough.”
Johnson also told the BOE members that two of the five new buses that had been ordered were to be delivered on June 7.
Pendleton County Schools Treasurer, J.P. Mowery, stated, “the county is in a good place financially and, as of now, we are not overly concerned about the rising gas and food prices, but we are monitoring it and will adjust finances if we need to.”
There were five resignations: Kimberly Richardson – special education teacher for Franklin Elementary School; Marjorie Rawson – math teacher (grades 7-12) at PCMHS; Charlotte Hoover – summer success bus driver; Leslie Bowers – instructional support mentor at NFES; and April DePue – varsity high school cheerleading coach at PCMHS.
Thirteen new hires will join the Pendleton County school staff: Holly Champ – professional accountant/child nutrition director; Josh Nesselrodt – cook III at FES; Bobby Keesecker – bus driver (#7714) – Lynn Warner’s route; Jo Lynn Mitchell – extra-curricular MS exceptionality case manager at all schools ; Kathy Lockard – substitute cook; Marlena Beachler – substitute aide; Amy Wimer – substitute aide; Jeremy Fleming – summer success academy bus driver (2); and Bailey Rodgers – summer success academy itinerant aide w/autism mentor and CPI certificate.
The regular board of education meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. June 21 at the annex building in Franklin.
