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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2008)
The INDEPENDENT, February 7, 2008 Page 13 Banks School Board hears presentations, makes policy changes The Banks School District Board of Directors heard two presentations during their work session prior to the board meeting on January 14. The first was from Ryan Birr, co-chair of the facilities plan- ning committee. Birr presented a letter to the board and ex- plained why the committee was as yet unable to make their final report, as scheduled. According to Birr there is no doubt that something must be done for the district’s buildings and that a bond is the most likely way to proceed but, until the commit- tee gets the final reports, they can’t put a dollar amount on the bond to be sought. He asked if the board could approve going out for a bond and have the dollar amount come in after the final report. Birr was anxious for approval so the facilities committee can move forward with the forma- tion of a steering committee that will be a PAC (political ac- tion committee) and see the district through the process of a bond election. The goal would be to have a bond measure on the November 2008 election because a double majority is not needed in that election. Birr explained that two things prevented the committee from meeting its original timetable. The first was that the work per- formed by the committee proved to be more involved than was first thought. He said they have undertaken a com- plete analysis of the buildings as they currently are, as well as what needs may be in the near future. The second reason is that the committee is still await- ing results from several agen- cies, including a population study from Portland State Uni- versity. When all the informa- tion is gathered, Birr said, the fi- nal item the committee will need is a report from an archi- tect who will compile all of the information and associate the costs with district needs. The board did not vote to put a bond on the ballot at this time, but may schedule a special meeting to do so when all infor- mation is available. The second presentation, from Jim Smith, was about the way that sports are budgeted at the high school. This presenta- tion was in response to board discussion that followed a re- quest from Steven Kiss to add soccer as a sponsored, but non-funded, sport at the high school varsity level. Smith presented a break- down of income and costs across the different sports and added that it is impossible to fund all the sports exactly equally because some are in- herently more expensive. Smith emphasized that requirements for coaches were the same whether a sport is funded by the school or not. He feels that the purpose of the athletics de- partment is to provide a way for students to be involved, and this soccer proposal will allow a way for students to participate and compete. Board consen- sus was to allow soccer as an unfunded sport and consider the matter again during the budgeting process. Kiss said he was tickled the board was even considering providing any financial support of the pro- gram. During the regular board meeting, the directors voted unanimously to add soccer to the sports schedule for next school year. The board had the first read- ing for two policy changes. One changes the bidding require- ments for the district. Previous- ly, purchases between $500 and $25,000 required three competitive written quotes and anything over $25,000 had to be formally bid. The new policy change the bidding limit to $150,000. A second policy proposes changing reimbursement of travel expenses for district em- ployees from set amounts to being tied to the U.S. General Services Administration Per Diem Rates. This would allow updating without any action by the board. These policies will have a second reading and be voted on at the next meeting. The board also approved an Please see page 14 Banks robbery suspect indicted On Monday, January 7, at 12:12 p.m. Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a robbery call at the Sunset Auto Parts Store in Banks. A white mail suspect wear- ing a blue bandana entered the store holding a knife and de- manded the money in the reg- ister. The clerk complied and was not injured. The suspect left with an undisclosed amount of cash. A Washington County K9 team was brought in, but the suspect was not located. Through a series of leads, Washington County Sheriff’s Detectives identified a suspect. On January 24, Jake Wayne Brown, 18, was indicted and charged with Robbery I, Rob- bery II and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. Mr. Brown was al- ready in the Washington Coun- ty Jail on unrelated charges. Power for Your MS 210 Right to left; Michaela and Kiana Shurts helped serve at the International Soup Festival on Saturday, February 2. MS 250 SUNSET LAUNDRY MS 210 Chain Saw Economical homeowner saw for light firewood cutting and pruning. It features a side-access chain tensioner for easy chain adjust- ment and toolless fuel and oil caps with retainers. MS 250 Chain Saw A step up from the MS 230, this model has an excellent power-to-weight ratio. Standard features include a side- access chain tensioner for easy chain adjustment. Wash…$1.25 Dry…25¢ 180 S. 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