School board okays sewer, roof bids

The Wahkiakum School District board of directors last Thursday accepted bids for two work projects and acted on a variety of other business.

Directors approved the bid of Luce Excavation for $33,985.46 for refurbishing the sewer line for Wendt Elementary and Thomas Middle schools. It was the only bid for the job.

In April, district Maintenance Supervisor Bob McClintock reported a camera survey of the line revealed many breaks and areas where the line can plug. Superintendent Bob Garrett commented the district has to call a plumber almost monthly to clear blockages.

The board received three bids for re-roofing the school bus garage. D.P. Construction was low at $13,990 including tax, followed by WeatherGuard, $18,725 plus tax, and Mackey Construction, $23,647 including tax. The board awarded the bid to D.P. Construction.

Another contractor will start replacing asbestos ceiling tiles and installing energy efficient lighting after school is out, Garrett said.

The board authorized Garrett to contract with Wahkiakum County officials for a $665,000 loan to cover project financing. The loan would be at 0.67 percent interest, lower than what the district could find commercially.

"I don't think we can pay $665,000 out of cash reserves," Garrett said; that would leave reserves too low for other potential needs.

The directors voted to contract with Educational Service District 112 for one year for business management and payroll services at $34,000 per year. District Clerk JoAnne Nortrup has handled the work in-house, but she is retiring. Her annual salary is $58,000, Garrett said, so the district would realize a savings even if another clerk's hours were increased slightly to help with bookkeeping.

Garrett reported May enrollment, which is the basis of state apportionment funding, was 442.95 full-time equivalent (FTE) students. The budget was based on 440 FTEs. "We're ending the year in good shape," he said.

The board is interviewing five candidates for high school principal to replace Dan Casler, who is taking a job at a school in the Olympia area. Two of the candidates, Garrett said, are local, teachers Stephanie Leitz and John Hannah.