by Dave DeMars
news@thenewsleaders.com
The Sauk Rapids-Rice School Board at its Oct. 24 meeting received a briefing on the proposed community athletic field house from Murray Mack, president of HMA Architects.
Mack presented the board with four options. All four have four basketball court areas, as well as locker rooms. Two options have a track encircling the basketball courts. That would allow for indoor training for track-and-field. Two options feature the building as a stand-alone structure with a connecting corridor from the high school. Those options would feature two parking areas, one of about 160 spaces with an overflow area of 425 spaces that could be used for other purposes.
Mack also showed another two options that would be attached to the present high school. Those would allow for some additional expansion of the high school’s weight room and possibly more seating for spectator viewing of swimming events. Mack also said two of the options, those not designed with a regulation indoor running track, might also be outfitted with a raised walking track similar to the one at Whitney Senior Center.
Depending on which plan is chosen and the various design choices and items included, costs would run between $7 and $9.8 million. Mack also estimated long-term maintenance costs on the building over 25 years would be about $1.8 million.
Community education
The school board received a report from Community Education Director Nicole Wilke, who told the board during the past year, her team had focused on building relationships with other groups in the school and city. Throughout the past year, 75 school groups had used community-education services. In total, 97,824 school-related participants were served. Even more surprising is 94 non-school groups used community-education facilities with 170,442 participants served.
This year, Sauk Rapids-Rice Community Education has three major goals: collaborating more with local businesses to offer an enriched offering of classes to youth and adults; reviewing and expanding the adult and youth recreation program; and reviewing and updating facility-rental policies.
Superintendent’s report
Superintendent Dan Bittman highlighted the listening sessions held at various sites in the city. Bittman said the school district does not plan to seek additional funds through an operating referendum if recommendations for building are accepted. Bittman also clarified the value of open enrollment in the district, saying the district receives $5.2 million in revenue from the program.
Bittman also updated the board on the indoor mapping pilot project, which is part of the security and safety program in the district. To date, the high school and Pleasantview Elementary School have been mapped and soon the training and implementation phase will begin.
Bittman informed the board of the Thanksgiving Day dinner for seniors sponsored by the Great River Rotary and the District 47 School District. About 330 senior citizens will have Thanksgiving dinner and see the high school play Seussical the Musical on Sunday, Nov. 20.
Bittman also informed the board that six Sauk Rapids-Rice teachers were slated to be honored by the Resource Training and Solutions in its Leaders in Educational Excellence Awards program. Among the honorees are Kathy Adamek, Michele Anderson, Crystal Davidson, Megan Foley, Lisa Wahlin and Cory Zimpel. (Those awards were presented Oct. 26.)
In a separate portion of the meeting, Bittman informed the SRRSB of the requirement and benefit of the open-enrollment program and how it’s administered in the Sauk Rapids-Rice District. (See sidebar story).
The board also:
● approved an additional 2.75 hours daily for Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School cook’s helper.
● authorized an increase in the rate of pay for the district groundskeeper’s helper position to equal the district’s substitute custodial rate of pay.
● approved additional support staff time at Pleasantview and Mississippi Heights elementary schools based on increased enrollment and student need.
● approved a director of Human Resources and Administrative Services position in accordance with priorities identified within the district’s strategic plan.
At each Sauk Rapids Rice School Board meeting, four students are recognized for the contributions they make in the classroom and in the school district generally. Pictured with school administrators left to right are Dan Bittman, Brian Kahl, senior; High School Principal Erich Martens, Connor Kockler, junior; Assistant High School Principal Karl Nohner, Hannah Weber, senior; and Mark Hauck, chair of Sauk Rapids-Rice School Board. (Missing is Madison Davis, senior. )
