Page 12
The INDEPENDENT, January 21, 2010
Banks School Board hears latest from Facilities Planning group
During the workshop prior to
the January 11 board meeting,
Banks School Board member
Richard Bowden updated the
board on the work of the district
Facilities Planning Committee
(FPC3), noting that once it was
clear that the district office
building could be partially de-
molished the project became
much easier. “Easy is cheap” in
construction, according to Bow-
den.
Dividing the project into a
first phase at the junior high,
and a second phase at the high
school would allow construction
to be completed within a single
school year, he explained. Un-
like the previous design, which
required extensive use of por-
table classrooms, a phased de-
sign would mean having “a few
kids in a few portables to com-
plete the junior high”, board
member Kathy Edison noted.
Bowden, who, with Will
Moore, serves as board liaison
to FPC3, shared details of the
committee’s visits to two new
schools. Bowden was im-
pressed by the many uses of
technology in modern class-
rooms, including wireless sys-
tems for sound and computers
in most classrooms. Wide hall-
ways, flexibility, appropriately
sized classrooms and the use
of common areas also im-
pressed Bowden. Superinten-
dent Jim Foster cautioned the
board not to get too excited, be-
cause both of the schools visit-
ed had more funding available
than what the board is consid-
ering in Banks.
District business manager
Simon Levear gave a brief
presentation at the workshop
about the Qualifying School
Construction Bond (QSCD)
program. Using the tax exemp-
tions provided could save the
district $12,000 in interest pay-
ments on repayment of a bond.
These long-term savings allow
the district to build capacity in
the levy rate. When the ele-
mentary school bond expires in
a few years, the levy amount
could drop or the district could
chose to accept another round
of bonding debt without “raising
the rate”. However, the pro-
gram expires this year making
“the most important thing about
a bond in November is that we
pass it” according to Levear.
The Board meeting began in
the absence of chairman Will
Moore, who was not able to at-
tend either the December or
January board meetings. Vice
chair Kathy Edison presided
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over the business meeting with
board members Bowden, Lau-
rie Schlegel, and Norie Dimeo-
Ediger.
Presentations to the board
by students are always the
highlight of school board meet-
ings and the January 11 meet-
ing was no exception. Four
Banks elementary students –
Cole Smith, Zach Streblow,
Payton Kimmel and Rebecca
Chandler – read the results of
their efforts to write a Presiden-
tial acceptance speech, an as-
signment given by fourth grade
teachers Cami Henderson and
Doreen Ring. Not surprisingly,
banning homework was a com-
mon theme. The students were
introduced by their principal,
Bob Huston.
Amy Waltz Hanson, WSC In-
surance, told the board that in-
creasing property values offset
decreasing rates, leaving the
district with essentially the
same premium as last year.
Rates are expected to remain
flat through July 2010. District
property liability is structured
with a “$3.7 million master
blanket limit” and, Hanson ex-
plained, the entire amount can
be applied to a single building,
if necessary. Bowden ques-
tioned the insurance valuation
Starting at $179.
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tion costs of $250 per square
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new construction. Hanson ex-
plained that the insurance valu-
ation is based on loss experi-
ence, not construction industry
standards.
Pauly, Rogers and Company
(district auditors) reported that
they were able to issue “an un-
qualified, clean and clear” opin-
ion on district financial state-
ments. All funds were found to
be compliant with state and
federal auditing standards and
no major problems or excep-
tions were noted.
High school principal Jim
Smith told the board that stu-
dents are very focused as they
head into the end of the semes-
ter. Sophomores will begin
state assessments this month.
National Honors students named
Banks High School has an-
nounced the following students
are National Honor Society
2009-2010 Inductees: Colby
Seyferth, Evan Reisinger, Ali
Philippi, Megan Nielson , Kici-
ah Gibson, Joe Schorn, Megan
Chalupsky, Chelsea Matthews,
Marcous Malouf, Hank Meeuw-
sen, Kaitlin Sommerfield, Arely
Sanchez, Conner Reynolds,
Sam Elwood, Deven Murray,
Melissa Metee, Jessica Mark-
ham and Max Edison.
New daily bus service in Banks
Getting to and from Portland
got a whole lot easier last Sep-
tember for residents of Banks
and North Plains, in Washing-
ton County, when Tillamook
County Transportation District
(TCTD) WAVE buses began
stopping in Banks and North
Plains four times per day, Mon-
day through Saturday, and
twice on Sundays.
This expanded service is a
result of coordination between
Ride Connection, TCTD, and
representatives from the two
cities. In particular, Ride Con-
nection Service Specialist Terry
Watson, and TCTD General
Manager
Matt
Mumford,
worked tirelessly for the past
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year to bring inter-city service
to the cities.
“Terry has done an amazing
job to connect all the dots in or-
der to make this happen.
Thanks also go out to Matt
Mumford and to Banks City
Manager Jim Hough, North
Plains Mayor David Hatcher
and North Plains City Manager
Don Otterman, for their perse-
verance,” said Julie Wilcke,
Ride Connection’s Chief Oper-
ating Officer.
There is no fare, as Ride
Connection pays TCTD for all
rides between Banks and North
Plains plus connections to/from
TriMet in Washington and Mult-
See Bus on page 14
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