Vantage board OKs machine purchases

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Vantage Career Center’s Board of Education had six new members Thursday when it met to reorganize and for its first board meeting of the year.

Six new board members — Pat Baumle of Wayne Trace, Kim Brandt of Parkway, Craig Byrne of Ottoville, Linda Owens of Van Wert, Dennis Recker of Antwerp and Greg von der Embse of Kalida — are filling the seats of board members who either fulfilled their two-year terms on the board or left with a year remaining. Baumle, Brandt, Recker and von der Embse are all filling unexpired terms, while Byrne and Owens are beginning new two-year terms.

Returning board members beginning two-year terms include Ron Bradford of Continental, Greg Reinhart of Paulding, Sally Snyder of Lincolnview and Karl Schimmoeller of Fort Jennings. Board President Lonnie Nedderman of Crestview is in the second year of a two-year term.

Nedderman was president pro tempore for the organizational meeting and was re-elected president of the board during that meeting. Snyder was chosen board vice president, while Brandt was selected as legislative liaison and Bradford was elected student achievement liaison.

All of the new board members except Owens, who was absent, were sworn in by Vantage Treasurer Lori Davis.

As part of the normal “housekeeping” duties needed at the first of the year, the Vantage board approved the tax budget proposed by Davis during the budget hearing — the first meeting held Thursday.

During her report, Superintendent Staci Kaufman gave an update on the Ohio State Facilities Commission construction/renovation project at the school, noting that, while the project is a little bit behind schedule, postponing installation of terrazzo flooring until spring will likely keep the project from getting further behind, she said.

Kaufman also noted that the recent rains have pushed the “dry-in” date back at least two days, from the original projected date of January 9, but added that the project is doing well, financially.

“We continue to be just under budget and not quite on schedule,” the superintendent told the board.

As part of the regular board meeting, the board approved several construction project-related actions, including three memorandums of understanding for locally funded initiatives for the project and bid packages for asbestos abatement, metal siding, loose furnishings and soil removal.

The board also approved a contract with the Van Wert Innovation Center for storage space at a cost of $25,000, and purchased approximately $600,000 worth of new machining equipment as part of the construction project.

Machining instructor Larry Ray answered questions from the board about the large expenditure prior to its approval, while Kaufman also noted that most of the current equipment was installed when the building was constructed in 1976.

“It’s pretty old stuff,” Ray said. “Not only is it original to the building, but it was donated … when the building was built.”

Although Vantage has some newer equipment, including two CNC machines, the new equipment will include a mix of manual and CNC machines and, as Ray said, “will take us into the future.”

Vantage Director Bob Vennekotter said at least one of the machines predates World War II, since it had been on the battleship USS Arizona and was replaced before that ship was sunk in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.

The new equipment includes 10 Clausing Metosa Lathes (six for Precision Machining and four for Industrial Mechanics) from Ray Industrial Products in Van Wert at an estimated cost of $24,082 each; two Clausing Colchester Lathes for Precision Machining, also from Ray Industrial Products, at a cost of $28,540 each; an OMAX 2626 Jet Machining Center for Precision Machining from OMAX Corp. of Kent, Wash., at an estimated cost of $96,100; one VRTEX 360 Virtual Reality Welding Trainer from Lincoln Electric Company of Cleveland at an estimated cost of $53,940; and a TM2 Toolroom Mill for Precision Machining from Midwest Manufacturing Resources of Fort Wayne, Ind., at an estimated cost of $65,885, plus shipping.

Kaufman lauded Ray for his machining program, which she called the best in the state and one of the few successful vocational programs left in the state. Ray said the Vantage program is garnering interest from companies as far away as Minster Machine Company in Auglaize County, largely because that area doesn’t have a comparable program.

The board also approved the purchase of medical classroom equipment for Health Technology from Pocket Nurse at an estimated cost of $31,700.50.

In other action, the board:

• Accepted a donation of $24,500 from The Van Wert County Foundation, through the Rothaker-Lampe Fund, for the purchase of electrical equipment.
• Approved an agreement with JER Group Inc. to license certain online training materials, books, learning guides, courseware and related products.
• Approved a Community Reinvestment Area agreement between West Park Villas LLC and Vantage.
• Authorized supplemental contracts for Vantage employees MaryJo Wilhelm, Shirley Jarvis and Annette Klinger as part of the “Step Into Your Future” program. The contracts will provide $250 for each of the three for time spent working on the program.
• Hired the following Adult Education instructors on an as-needed, as-scheduled basis: Steven Stechschulte and Kevin Taylor, Police Academy; and Tracey Borns, ABLE support aide;

The next meeting of the Vantage board will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, February 2, in the Cup & Saucer Restaurant.