NRHEG School Board
By REED WALLER
Staff Writer
Remodeling drawings on view
Plans for the remodeling of the New Richland High School kitchen, cafeteria, commons area, and main entrance will be on view at the NRHEG New Richland Media Center Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 7:00 p.m., following the district’s annual Truth in Taxation Hearing at 6:30. The public is invited.
Visitors will be able to examine and discuss details of the upcoming improvements to the building, which includes an expansion of the cafeteria into what is now the south portion of the Media Center, to create an expanded Commons area, and a redesigned kitchen, plus a more secure entryway to the building and redesign of the office and services area.
At a special meeting held Wednesday, Nov. 14, the NRHEG school board viewed the drawings, presented by the architectural firm of SGN/Wendel, who turned in the low bid for the work.The cost for the actual construction is estimated at $800,000 out of a total of $1.3 million. Health and Safety dollars will cover about $150,000 of the cost, with the remainder covered by general obligation bonds. The impact on the district will be about $100,000 per year for 10 years.
Fiscal 2012 audit
Also at the special meeting, Joe Stencel of auditors Eide Bailly presented the fiscal 2012 audit. The audit showed a $500,000 drop in general revenue in 2012, as expected due to the discontinuance of $700,000 Federal Stimulus money. The net result, however, was a decrease in revenue of only about $17,000, far better than expected. Another visible change was the move of about $500,000 from Reserved to Unreserved funds, meaning more flexibility in spending.
Legion Field contract with NR
At the board’s regular meeting on Monday, Nov. 19, modification was made to the district’s contract with the City of New Richland for Legion Field.
Previously the district and the City of New Richland agreed to undertake $37,000 worth of improvements to the ball fields, with the district paying $30,000 and the City $7,000.
Discussion with New Richland City Clerk Wayne Billing revealed that, while the district thought they had agreed to a $30,000 flat payment as payment in full for a five-year period, the City thought the $30,000 was in addition to the district’s existing lease payment of $1,600 per year.
The board approved a compromise modification of the agreement whereupon the district agrees to a one-time payment of $35,000 for the five year lease, with $30,000 going toward the improvements and the remaining $5,000 dedicated to City’s maintenance responsibilities.
Donations
Donations received in the last month were:
For Eagle Bluff: State Bank of New Richland $100, New Richland Lions Club $75, Holland Auction Co. $40, Sorenson’s Appliance $25, Central Valley $150, Broskoff Structures $50, Ellendale Lions Club $500, First National Bank $100, Commerce Bank-Geneva $100, and NRHEG PTO $1,280.
For the Veterans Day program: New Richland Legion Post #75 $50, New Richland Legion Auxiliary $50, Ellendale Legion Post #296 $100.
For the Softball scoreboard, Southern Seed Service, $4,000.
For PBIS posters, anonymous donation of $100, for prizes NRHEG PTO $500.