Hillsboro school district tweaks additions, improvements
Staff reporter
Not quite three months into the job, Hillsboro USD 410 Superintendent Doug Huxman has settled into his position and is ready for the district projects that are about to begin.
A bond issue was approved this past year by school district patrons that will pave the way for much-needed additions and improvements.
However, one improvement that will not begin any time soon is the athletic complex project.
A lawsuit was filed in Marion County District Court regarding the mixing of public (USD 410) and private (Tabor College) funds for the football field project and joint ownership of the USD 410/Tabor College athletic facility.
At the Oct. 8 board of education meeting, members reviewed an interlocal agreement between the district and the college where both would have joint ownership of the athletic complex. Currently Tabor College and the school district use the athletic field and complex for events, and the agreement would solidify the two entities' ownership.
Huxman is hopeful the lawsuit will soon be settled but, for now, he and the board are concentrating on the projects that can proceed.
Howard & Helmer Architecture of Wichita is the architectural firm in charge of the projects. One of the partners, Ken Helmer, is a Marion native.
The general contractor is Koonrod and Associates Constructions of Wichita.
About the projects: Central office
A new building will be constructed on North Adams Street for the central office, and the district's maintenance and transportation departments. Currently the central office is located at Hillsboro Elementary School and the other two departments are housed in an older structure on the Hillsboro High School campus. That structure will be razed.
"The district initially looked at the former AMPI building," Huxman said, "but decided not go that direction."
The district looked at a number of locations, Huxman said, and decided on an empty lot that has access from U.S.-56 which is important. An added bonus is that the location that was chosen has the TEEN fiberoptic line nearby.
The City of Hillsboro now owns the former AMPI building and Hillsboro Police Department is in a portion of the building.
The district is in the process of purchasing 10 acres at the North Adams location from Hillsboro Development Corporation. With the district administrators, TEEN and Communities In Schools directors also will have offices in the same building.
HES
A new lunchroom and kitchen will be built along East A Street on the southeast part of the elementary school campus.
Currently the school's gymnasium is used as a lunchroom, for physical education, and other multiple uses.
"By adding the lunchroom, reconfiguring some areas, remodeling the current elementary offices, and some classroom areas, we will create more usable spaces," Huxman said.
Another welcomed addition will be the improvement and reconfiguration of parking around the school, particularly a new parking lot on the east side. The existing parking area on the west side of the building will be paved.
HHS
A new weight training facility, locker rooms, and the updating of a science classroom are on the slate at the high school.
An older building that currently is used for weight training and maintenance and transportation departments will be torn down and removed.
New locker rooms and bathrooms will be added in an area between the buildings and near the newer gymnasium.
Parking areas also will be improved at the high school as part of the construction project.
Changes during projects, timeline
While the projects are going on, the central office will be located in the basement of Emprise Bank at 104 E. Grand, Hillsboro. Buses will be parked in the city-owned parking lot near the police station. Huxman said he wasn't exactly sure how the front entrance of HES will be impacted during construction but the district will do the best it can to accommodate students and parents during that time.
At the Oct. 8 board meeting, the board approved a resolution that authorized the sale and issuance of bonds, for $4,605,000, for the three projects. Bonds will not be issued for the athletic complex project until the lawsuit is settled.
"The three projects should begin within the next six weeks," Huxman said. Completion is anticipated within a year.
"Our goal is to be in the new buildings and finished when school starts next August," he said.
Other district news
At the Oct. 8 school board meeting, the board approved the resignation of Hillsboro High School Principal Dale Honeck.
Honeck plans to retire at the end of the 2008 school year after serving eight years as principal.
In addition to searching for a high school principal, the board also will make a decision in the coming months regarding a superintendent.
Huxman was hired as interim superintendent for the 2007-08 school year.
The board hopes to make a decision regarding the superintendent's position in the near future.
