The July meeting of the Poplar Bluff R-1 school board was the first for two new district administrators, Superintendent Dr. Aaron Cornman and Assistant Superintendent for Finance Charles Kinsey.
While a new superintendent usually attracts the most attention, it was Kinsey who did most of the heavy lifting in a meeting where the emphasis was approving payments for a number of district maintenance and capital improvement projects.
Kinsey, formerly the director of the Technical and Career Center, recommended the approval of the second payment for the new Culinary Arts Center, a project he has shepherded for the past several years.
The board approved the second payment on the center to Zoellner Construction for $71,825.85. Construction is underway at the TCC’s location on the high school campus.
The board also approved the ninth payment on the new Junior High Activity Center to CE Norton Construction for $351,004.21.
Although the construction of the new multipurpose building is nearing completion, the board learned that the project will not be completed by the first day of classes on Aug. 21.
The estimated completion date is now set for Sept. 25. Junior High Principal Candace Warren said her staff is prepared to move in as soon as the facility is finished, and until that time, they have contingency plans for the start of school.
In other major capital projects, the board approved the fifth and final payment for the downtown Administration Building to Brockmiller Construction for $37,717.45.
The bids on completing the building according to the original plans exceeded the projected budget estimates, and the board voted earlier this year to put the project on hold.
No further plans on what comes next for that location have yet to be presented, but the matter is certain to be brought up in the near future.
The board also approved a number of maintenance and improvement projects, many of which are funded in whole or in part by federal ESSER funds for COVID-19 relief.
The final payment was approved for the Lake Road HVACR improvements to Buffington Brothers for $65,000, as was the Maintenance Warehouse/Office roof payment to Meinershagen Roofing & Sheet Metal for $417,775.
The board also approved improvements to the Mark Twain roof to Meinershagen Roofing & Sheet Metal for $128,625, and the first payment for Mark Twain’s window replacement to Miller Drywall of Kentucky for $57,632.50.
Students at the Kindergarten Center will use new touchscreen Chromebooks this year thanks to board approval of the bid from HPI Education of Brooklyn, New York for $59,090.90. HPI had the low bid; other bids came from companies in Illinois, Georgia and New Jersey.
Transportation Director Jon McKinney said he and his staff are working on creating bus routes for the fall and are currently in the detailed process of inspecting the 50 buses in the district fleet.
Cornman, in his first superintendent’s report, thanked his staff for helping him meet with community, business and organization leaders as he begins his tenure leading the school district.
The next school board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 17.