Meeting Minutes: CV School Board Approves Millions in Construction, Purchases

Monday's Chippewa Valley School Board meeting was less than 30 minutes, but in that half hour, the board approved more than $4 million in construction and equipment purchases for the district.

Construction Contracts

The most expensive item on the evening's agenda was the awarding of two construction contracts for site improvements to the district's 12 elementary schools. The contracts, which were awarded to McNulty Electric and Cortis Bros., totaled more than $3.9 million.

The almost $4 million cost will cover the installation of new playground equipment, the addition of a 1/8-mile walking track, new signage and landscaping at all 12 elementary buildings as well as site work at Little Turtle. The funds will also cover the installation of site lighting at the elementary buildings along Cougar Drive and parking lot improvements at several elementary schools.

Work on these projects is set to begin in the fall of 2011. Funding was provided by the district's 2010 Building & Site Funds.

New Track for Chippewa Valley High School

Chippewa Valley High School will get a new $344, 400 track this year, but thanks to insurance coverage, the district will only pay $33,000. 

The contract was awarded to Nagle Paving and work is set to begin this spring and be completed by July 30.

The costs not covered by insurance proceeds–fees for the architect and construction manager–will be funded by the 2010 Building & Site Fund.

New Technology for Career Technical Education 

The board voted to approve the purchase of a $68,000 CNC Router Machine for the Career Technical Education Department.

The machine will be purchased from Marsh Power Tools using the 2011 Building & Site Fund.

Expanding SmartBoard Use with Movable Mounts

In efforts to make every classroom a , the district is in the process of installing SmartBoards, or interactive white boards, in every classroom. However, many of these boards have been installed on fixed mounts, making it difficult for younger children to reach the boards and use the technology fully.

The total cost of the mounts is more than $343,000, however, the district will be able to use a $138,000 credit, lowering the actual cost for the district to about $205,000. These movable mounts, purchased from Thalner Electronic Laboratories Inc. will be installed in all secondary buildings.

This purchase was made from the 2010 Building & Site Funds.

Transfer of District Property to Macomb County

When Chippewa Valley built , it also built Vesper Drive, the roadway leading to the building.

The board approved the transfer of ownership of this road from the district to the Road Commission of Macomb County at Monday's meeting. By transferring ownership to the county, the district can now move forward with plans to reconfigure the Shawnee parking lot this summer.

The road commission will now by solely responsible for Vesper Drive's maintenance and upkeep.

Lathkey Programs Are a Go for 2010

The board reaffirmed that the latchkey programs at Clinton Valley, , Cherokee, Erie, , Huron, Miami, , , Ottawa, and Shawnee elementary schools meet specific standards for safety procedures and thus meet the "Model Standards for Out-of-School Time Programs" in Michigan.

This allows the district's latchkey programs to operate with minimal state supervision.