After an executive session at the April 11 Eureka Springs School Board meeting, the board accepted the resignation of high school principal Kathy Lavender, who Supt. Bryan Pruitt said is retiring so she can travel and visit her kids. He said Lavender has been a valuable asset and has paid her dues.
“It’s that time for her,” Pruitt remarked. “She showed great leadership for us, she’ll be hard to replace, but I’m excited for her.”
The board also accepted the resignation of Katy Turnbaugh, high school chemistry, engineering and science teacher. She accepted a position at the new Thaden School, a private 6-12 school in Bentonville sponsored by the Walton Family Foundation. Pruitt said Turnbaugh will also be hard to replace because of her diverse skills, but losing good teachers is part of the process.
These resignations were also accepted: Daniel Patterson and Lena Fryar, child nutrition staff; John McBryde, custodian; Joann Jacobs, special education assistant.
Lighten up
The board voted to engage the Excel Energy Group to upgrade or replace “approximately 2100 lighting fixtures and associated lamps and ballasts” throughout the campus according to the Excel presentation. In other words, the entire campus – all three schools plus the administrative building and bus barn – will be transitioned to LED lighting.
Cost of the project is estimated to be $191,221, but Excel Vice President of Design and Development Colton Churchill told the board he expects there will be $21,314 in energy saving incentives from SWEPCO, which his staff will apply for, bringing net cost to $170,907. He also said there would be energy and demand savings, plus maintenance savings totaling $31,005 annually. All the arithmetic means the district will see a payback on the investment in 5.5 years.
Churchill also pointed out standardizing the lighting products will greatly simplify tasks of the facility’s crew because the district will need to stock just one major lamp type.
Pruitt said the district has funds in the Building Fund and could pay cash for the project to avoid financing expenses. Churchill said that by not financing the project the district would see savings immediately. He said his crews could accomplish the installation within 10-12 days working from 4 p.m. until 4 a.m., and teachers would not know workers had been there. The job could be completed before the end of May if the board acted at that meeting.
Churchill also mentioned the Arkansas School Board Association uses a cooperative purchasing program called TIPS/TAPS, of which Excel is an approved vendor, and through this arrangement the district does not have to put the project out for bid. Pruitt said districts buy school buses through this program.
Board member Al Larson commented it seemed impetuous to just jump right in. He wondered if the board did not need more information for comparison. Pruitt answered, “If there is further study to be done, I don’t know about it.” He said he and Facilities Director Mike Dwyer had been researching this idea for two years. Dwyer commented the energy-saving incentives from SWEPCO are dwindling and might disappear completely soon, so acting now would mean the optimum payback time. District Treasurer Pam McGarrah added this is a good fiscal year for this investment.
Larson moved to go ahead with the proposal and board member Debbie Davis seconded the motion. Vote was 4-0 to approve the motion.