The Northwestern Board of Education (BOE) met for their scheduled meeting on Thursday September 15, 2016, in the Northwestern Elementary Library at 6:00pm.District Superintendent Jesses Steiner and District Treasurer Dave Bollheimer, and Northwestern Elementary School Principal, Luke Everhart also in attendance, all BOE members present and attended as well.
The architects from Garmann/Miller & Associates Architects and Engineers returned for the presentation of the BOE request for additional renderings of the new athletic complex. Matt, from Garmann/Miller & Associates walked the board members through the architectural layout of the new athletic complex to be located just north of the stadium on the Northwestern Local Schools Campus.
The inside of the complex serves at not only an athletic facility complete with over one hundred and twenty-five lockers including seventy-five lockers large enough for the football team to store the oversized equipment. The coaches’ suite offers both female and male shower and changing areas and a game review room/classroom to allow the teams as coaches to review game footage and hold team meetings. The long hallway also dubs as a small training and warm-up track, allowing the doors to the multi-purpose room to open and the hallway provide a fifty-yard dash practice regimen. The Multi-Purpose room is just that a room of many purposes, this room offers something to every team, member and coach. Batting cages for the baseball and softball teams can breakdown to allow drill practice as well as host wrestling practice and meets offering 4500 square feet, over a full-mat area. With the vast area, teams also have the availability to practice inside during inclement weather, freeing up the gym space in the schools for other events. A stairway leads up to a storage loft, large enough to store off-season equipment.
Outside the athletic complex, the entrance houses a ticket gate and a small concession area serving refreshments and snacks and larger patron restrooms allows for the stadium concession patrons access that is more comfortable. A Hall of Fame wall at the entrance welcomes event goes and introduces the community to their Northwestern Local School athletes. The lighting of the complex uses low-lighting, in conjunction with tall fencing providing safety to students, teams and event patrons. When asked about the materials used, “the materials used were at a functioning perspective,” Matt from Garmann/Miller replied. The goal is matching the outside building materials of the complex with the materials and colors of the existing buildings on campus, including standard metal roofing. The inside floors constructed of concrete and adequate drainage for cleaning and maintenance. The goal of the athletic complex is to create a community gathering area that supports the local athletes, students and community as a whole.
The total projected cost of the Northwestern school athletic complex and sports center tops in at 3.4 million dollars including using energy efficient utilities with a cost variance of 150,000 to $180,000. Northwestern Board of Education President Pamela Marton reassured that the funding for this project stems from private donations from a previously board approved capital campaign as well as funds left over from recent building project. The potential to host athletic events and allow the student athletes the area to showcase their team and individual skills, also opens the doors to generate revenue allowing greater opportunities for the student body.
The Resolution of Intent Not to Provide Career-Technical Education in Grades 7th and 8th came up for discussion. Ohio Revised Code Section 3313.90(B) exempts Northwestern School from offering Joint Vocational classes to 7th and 8th grade students that extend into the links of Clark County Career Technical School CTC). Northwestern School Superintendent, Jesse Steiner explained that, “the only class available to Northwestern 7th and 8th grade students is agricultural, and the teacher qualified in those areas is already at a full teaching capacity.” Therefore, the Northwestern BOE voted to submit a waiver under the Ohio Revised Code for exemption.
The BOE made a motion to accept a donation of $4,000 from the Northwestern Class of 1965 for the Arts and Humanities at Northwestern Local School District. Any teacher may submit a request to the BOE for grant funds to extend their classroom activities and education for the purpose of the studies of Arts and Humanities. The BOE approved the request to raise the A.M. latchkey reimbursement to $1.00 per student. Other business includes the approval to allow the district to purchase items and services through the National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA), following up with the approval for the contract with Johnson-Laux Construction for $67,215.37 to replace the backstop and fencing around the baseball fields a bid placed through the NJPA.
Jesse Steiner also explained that a pre-school classroom assistant, a previously interned position, is now a paid position as stated by the Ohio State Board of Education. Therefore, the position is now a 10-hour a week paid position accompanying a $10.00 an hour pay rate.
The signs out in front of the Northwestern Local School Campus offering open positions to those who qualify for a transportation position are working. The Northwestern Local School District (NWLSD) has hired and trained several applicants with various previous backgrounds in the community.
The BOE voted to accept the employment of the following (pending BCI and FBI checks for positions who qualify)
Tess McNeil ( Athletic Site Manager)
Brian Stevenson (Mentor)
Maria Heintz (Athletic Site Manager)
Kelly Braun ( Mentor)
Amanda Wiggins ( Mentor)
Tamara Boggess ( Mentor)
Vicki Packard-Cooper ( Mentor)
Rebekah Rittenberg (Asst. Band Director)
Meredith Grieser ( Washington D.C. Trip Chairperson)
Authority granted to employ the following certified personnel in the supplemental positions listed below for the 2016-2017 school year (pending BCI and FBI background checks)
John Clarkson ( Athletic Site Manager)
Authority granted to employ the following, as non-certified substitute, on an as needed basis, per current rate (pending BCI and FBI background checks)
Alfred E. Collier
Ryan Hillard
Erica Hillard
Dennis Owens
Karla Patrick
Authority granted to employ the following on a 90-day workday probationary contract (pending BCI and FBI background checks)
Micki Loppe ( Cook)
Authority granted to accept the following resignation
Belinda Lewis –Effective September 9, 2016
Authority granted to accept the following retirement request
Vickie Dersch – Effective December 31, 2016
The next Northwestern Local School District Board of Education meeting scheduled for October 20, 2016 in the Northwestern Elementary School Library at 6:00 pm.
