Staff writer
Runoff from years of rain and snow has turned the playground at Hillsboro Elementary School into mostly dirt, which often is tracked back into the school after recess.
The problem is most noticeable when snow is on the ground, USD 410 Superintendent Steve Noble said Monday.
Noble suggested the board consider spending $20,000 to $30,000 to dig six inches below grade and fill the area with recycled pieces of tire instead of wood chips as before. The project would also include a drain and screen to prevent runoff.
Playground equipment would not be replaced or altered. The board took no action.
Board members voted to remove trees from the north end of the playground to make space for a school-to-farm project.
Because farming the land would require changes in city ordinances, the project will be discussed at a public hearing of the city’s planning board. The planning board will then vote whether to recommend changes to the city council.
The removal of trees and preparation of the site for leveling and drainage will cost $6,350.
Stadium upkeep
Hillsboro High School principal Max Heinrichs updated the board on the status of the field at Joel H. Wiens Stadium.
He said the turf was in good condition but equipment to rake and aerate crumb rubber will need to be purchased when the field’s eight-year warranty runs out. The stadium is currently in its fifth year.
A four-inch hole in a letter of the north end zone also will be filled when weather permits. Plant growth around the edges of the track also will be attended to.
In other business:
- Board members an $87,762 bid for a 65-passenger Blue Bird bus.
- Board members approved the resignation of bus driver Clara Frick and work contracts for bus driver Robert Haude II and Parents as Teachers educator Priscilla Sibayan. Noble’s contract as superintendent also was extended through June 30, 2016.