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Harmony ISD Trustees

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HS construction manager sought; Tennis court fix: $30-to-$40k
By JOHN SPARKS

 Meetin in regular session Monday, December 15 trustees of the Harmony Independent School District approved of advertising for a construction manager for the proposed high school expansion and heard a report from Superintendent Jed Whitaker regarding an engineering report and recommendation on solving the water drainage damage to the tennis courts. Trustees also received a report of the annual audit from the district's independent auditor.
Moving very quickly to add a five-classroom expansion to the high school, trustees voted to advertise for a construction manager for the project. Superintendent Whitaker described some of the features of the expansion as envisioned by architect Ted Estey. He said construction on the 6,100 square-foot addition could be started in February and completed in August. Board members agreed to meet in special session early in January to interview prospective construction managers.
Whitaker advised board members of a report by an engineering firm that recommends two possible approaches to repairing damage to the tennis facility on the school's campus. One solution recommended by the engineers was to construct what Whitaker described as a pier and beam foundation while a second suggestion is to use a cement mixture in a mud jacking process to pump the cavity under the tennis courts full. Under either recommendation, the land around the courts will be resculpted and a slurry wall would be erected along with a catch drain on the North side of the tennis facility. Following the heavy rainfall last month, several cracks appeared in the surface asphalt of the four courts. The problem, first noted last year, is caused by serious erosion under the paved surface. The estimated cost to repair the courts is $30,000 to $40,000.
Preston Caver of Caver & Moore presented the results of the audit for the year ending 08/31/08. Caver said the audit was "clean" with no findings. He was high in his praise of the administration and the financial management of the school district.
Enrollment at Harmony stood at 1052 as of December 12, up from 1037 at the end of August.
Whitaker also provided board members with:
- a report on student activities, including news that junior high students had finished first at UIL competition,
- a review of tech prep grants,
- a recommendation that board members consider attending a TASB legislative update meeting in Fort Worth in June.
The board approved:
1.) hiring a consultant for the district's 403B plan,
2.) utilizing the same Superintendent evaluation form and process as last year.
The next regular meeting of the Harmony ISD Board of Trustees will be Monday, January 26, 2009. A special meeting can be called with 72-hours notice.

Last Updated on Friday, 10 April 2009 18:33  

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