Members of the Eureka Springs School Board reluctantly agreed to a change order which will add a considerable expense to the new cafeteria for the elementary and middle schools.
Supt. Bryan Pruitt explained that the site for the cafeteria has more buried lines than expected, and each of those lines will have to be re-routed. Legacy Construction Inc., the construction management firm hired by the school, expected to find gas, water, sewer, electrical, and a storm drain, but more problems emerged as excavation began. Carroll Electric and SWEPCO both have underground services through the area, a situation which had previously caused some problems for the school.
The total cost for this change order was $130,000, which included a standard 10 percent fee for Legacy. With no way around the extra costs, the board had to choose between approving the increase or abandoning the project.
Before approving the additional costs, some board members asked whether someone should have anticipated the problem. Board member Candace Spaulding said the board hired a construction manager specifically to avoid problems like these. She suggested asking Legacy to remove the 10 percent markup and look for other concessions.
Board member Al Larson suggested that the board vote against the change order and then make the request to remove the markup, saying the board could hold a special meeting for approval afterwards. Instead of going through that process, Pruitt immediately called company owner Steve Collier, who made the 10-percent concession over the phone, and everyone approved the corrected figure of $119,000.
New school year is up and sprinting
The three school principals do not make monthly reports during the summer, but Board Chair Chris McClung welcomed them back with a new school year. Elementary Principal Clare Haozous recapped the summer school program, which primarily relied on distance learning. Students in need of extra work in math or literacy would take home a Chromebook for their lessons and come in to school one day a week for small-group tutoring.
The school library was open on Wednesdays during the summer, and Haozous was pleased with the number of visits to the library. The school now has a vending machine for books, and students can earn tokens for academic successes. A grant from the Carroll County Community Foundation made the project possible.
The open house to kick off the new school year was well-attended. The theme for the year is “Out of this World,” and Haozous said the students like the space theme. She also mentioned the new phonics-based methods that the staff learned during in-service training. The pre-school program still has several openings available. The elementary school currently has 237 students, and having 40 students registered for kindergarten leaves the school right on the line since more kindergarteners would require additional staff.
Middle School Principal Caen Dowell said he was very pleased with the turnout for open house since parental attendance at such events ordinarily declines as the students age. He said the year got off to a good start, although the day began with some traffic problems. Dowell also noted the school has 194 students, down about 20 from last year. He attributed most of the decline to a large eighth-grade class last year.
High School Principal David Gilmore said last year’s large eighth-grade numbers have translated into a ninth-grade class with 67 students. The high school has 231 students currently. Gilmore discussed a new aviation class at school, and also mentioned a Rotary project which provided free shoes to students.