Lincolnview Bd. to revisit building project

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

After being put on hold by COVID-19 last year, plans for additional classrooms and office expansion at Lincolnview Elementary are being revisited by school officials.

“The buildings and grounds committee has been meeting and we’re going to look at what the costs are today versus what we were thinking about doing back then,” Snyder said during Wednesday night’s Board of Education meeting.

Before COVID, plans drawn up by the architectural firm of Garmann Miller called for three new classrooms, including new space for special needs students, a new elementary office, office space for the district’s special education director and school psychologist and a more secure entrance to the building. At the time, the projected cost was $1.4 million.

An update is expected at next month’s board meeting.

Snyder said the district currently has just one COVID-19 case and three quarantines and he said because of COVID, plans for the annual Veteran’s Day program have changed.

“We have partnered with Rager’s Original Sausage Sandwich and each veteran, if they let us know who they are, will receive gift cards for two meals and a dessert and a nice thank you letter for serving our great nation,” Snyder said.

The board made it official Wednesday night – admission to all upcoming home regular season winter sports events at Lincolnview will be free of charge to all K-12 students.

“We thought this would be something that we could do to allow some students that don’t have the opportunity to come to games due to cost and to help build school spirit,” Snyder said.

The new policy will roll over to volleyball and soccer next fall.

In a related move, the board approved the transfer of $15,000 from the general fund to the athletic fund.

Treasurer Troy Bowersock informed the board that the latest five-year financial forecast will be presented at next month’s meeting.

During her report, Elementary Principal Nita Meyer updated the board on field trips, the mobile dentist , Math and Science Family night review and this Friday’s Fall Festival. She also noted parent-teacher conferences will be held November 3 and 4.

Junior High/High School Principal Brad Mendenhall praised the success of fall sports teams and told the board that attendance incentive winners for October were Kreston Tow and Gabby Thomas. Over 100 students were eligible to win.

The board also approved a resolution commending students inducted into the Lincolnview High School Honor Society on Sunday: Katie Clay, Justice Hillery, Olivia Lauf, Morgan Anspach, McKayla Blankemeyer, Breck Evans, Corbin Evans, Trey Evans, Wyatt Friedrich, Caden Hanf, Emma Hatcher, Luke Heffelfinger, Lauren Jones, Summer Karbowiak, Cody Kittle, Emma Klausing, Carsyn Looser, Cheyenne Pohlman, Delayna Profit, Annie Renner, Brandon Renner, Carter Renner, Grace Sadowski, Braxton Sherrick, Maceyn Snyder and Zada Walker.

Board members honored the boys’ golf team and head coach Brett Hammons. The Lancers finished second in the Northwest Conference during the regular season, then won the conference tournament and enjoyed a runner-up finish at the Division III sectionals. Hammons was named Coach of the Year.

The board approved a service agreement for strategic planning services with the Ohio School Boards Association. Snyder said there will be focus groups with community members and a community survey to see where the district wants to go in the future.

In other business the board:

• Approved an overnight trip for FFA teacher/advisor Jordan Dues and selected FFA students to attend the FFA Mission/Impact Conference January 15 and 16 in Dublin, Ohio.
• Accepted an annual gym floor advertising payment of $3,500 from Van Wert Federal Savings Bank.
• Approved a snow removal contract with Gattshall Excavating and Trucking.

The next meeting of the Lincolnview Local Schools Board of Education will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, November 17, in the Neubrecht Lecture Hall.