View of a portion of the South Tama Middle School in Toledo from Green and Carleton streets looking to the southeast. -News-Herald file

“It’s time we let people know what we are going to do,” District 1 South Tama School Board Director Ron Houghton, Toledo, said Monday night in an appeal to fellow members. It came prior to a vote on hiring an architectural firm in connection with a possible bond issue.

The board has been taking steps toward a potential March, 2020, bond issue vote, another run at a Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) vote or a combination of both.

The focus primarily is on replacement of the South Tama Middle School Building in Toledo. But mention of the possibility of building a new high school building and moving the middle school to the current high school building has been made.

Houghton said he receives negative feedback at various events he attends in his calling for the board to decide on what course, if any, they plan to back. Houghton said he favored proceeding with a bond issue for a new building but wants it spelled out for district patrons before more money is committed to the effort.

“I’ve had a different reaction,” Penny Tyynismaa, District 3 member and board president, Tama, said. She said a telephone call she received om Monday included the message “The money spent up front is money well spent.”

Board members voted 3-1 to hire Invision, an architectural firm based in Waterloo and Des Monies at a cost of $20,000 for what is described in Superintendent Jared Smith’s recommendation: “To complete master planning and a pre-bond referendum planning of a new building to replace the current middle school.”

A panel of school personnel along with district residents interviewed three architectural firms on Oct. 17. All members favored Invision, Smith said. The other bids for the work were $12,500 and $20,000, Smith said.

Voting in favor by voice vote were District 2 Director Mandy Lekin, Toledo, District 5 Director Jackie Dvorak, Chelsea and Tyynismaa. Houghton voted no and District 4 Director Alan Kline, rural Toledo, was absent.

To place a bond issue on the ballot it is required 25 percent of the voters in the previous school election sign a petition asking for the measure to be brought to a vote.

Another Look At IJH

Now, a second look at the closed Iowa Juvenile Home / State Training School for Girls property in Toledo is also underway. It was rejected earlier as not a good fit for the district needs. The architectural firm will include this property in its study of the district needs and also will look at the cost to remodel the current middle school.

Board members gave 4-0 voice vote approval to a contract naming Estes Construction, Waterloo, as construction manager for any project.

The school board hired Estes Construction in December of last year at a cost of $12,500 to provide a facilities of the STC District buildings. The board received an in depth, 10-part evaluation of the four school buildings, their property and the athletic facilities. The results were evaluated by school personnel and community members over the summer.

The contract agreed to Monday was reviewed by the district’s law firm, Ahlers and Cooney, Des Moines, and found to be in order, Smith said. It does not necessarily commit the district to future dealings with Estes Smith said.

Results of the Estes study were: total cost by facility in low to high range- Partnership Center- $3,997 – $6,439,965; Middle School- $5,599,910 – $9,277,629; Elementary School- $1,655,355 – $3,460,834; High School- $3,195 – $5,270,358; Concessions-Weight Room- $68,162 – $101,489; Four Seasons Building- $38,027 – $54,067; and Athletic Fields- $686,431 – $824,694.

Middle School Soccer

“The interest in forming a soccer team has been present for quite a few years and now there are teams in our conference that want to start a schedule for the boys and girls,” Scott Bolen, middle school dean of students and activities director, wrote in requesting consideration of adding the sport. The proposal was a discussion item on Monday night.

If approved, it will be offered as a dual sport opportunity with students able to participate in spring track as well as soccer. Practice would be on Clark Field, the old football field just east of the middle school, with games on the high school practice field.

South Tama would face Williamsburg and Marion middle schools in the initial season for both home and away matches. An admission fee would be charged to help pay for officiating.

In other business Monday the school board:

approved contracts for Rochelle Kelsey to transfer from the position of elementary Title I paraeducator to elementary special education paraeducator; and Cheyenne Rucker to replace Kelsey as the position of elementary Title I paraeducator.

approved a retirement incentive of payment of $7,600 compared to the past $7,500 annually and a revision of board policy for early retirement incentives requiring notice of intent to be received by Jan. 1 as opposed to former deadline of Feb. 1. Superintendent Smith said this gives the district more time to hire replacements.