Hillview gymnasium will get air conditioning for the first time following action Thursday by the Neelyville Board of Education.
The board accepted a bid for $13,500 from Win Electric of Poplar Bluff for four units. Maintenance staff will install the five-ton units before next spring, Superintendent Brad Hagood said this morning.
Board members also tabled discussion of a new phone system for the district pending additional information.
The district is considering a voice-over-internet-protocol system and a more traditional landline-based system, Hagood said.
The VOIP unit has a less expensive initial purchase cost, at $8,000-$10,000, but also requires additional monthly fees, Hagood said. Monthly fees to operate the system could be $800-$1,000, he said.
The landline system would cost approximately $25,000 for the phones and installation, but no other costs to operate the system itself, Hagood explained.
With either system, the district would still have additional internet or phone plan fees to pay. Neelyville currently has phone service through Windstream.
"We're really just trying to get information," Hagood said.
Discussion of the phone system has been ongoing since August. The current phone system is more than 20 years old and has been discontinued, making parts difficult to find, Hagood has said. It also has the maximum number of lines that can be used.
In other business, the board hired Brandon Sisco and Charlie Richardson to serve as custodians at the Neelyville campus.
Tiger Fest will kick off at 10 a.m. Saturday, with a music show by students at 11 a.m. and a lip sync contest at noon, Hagood said. Mr. and Miss Tiger Fest will be crowned at 1 p.m.