The Keystone School Board earlier this week voted to fund a temporary repair of the aging boiler at the high school.
The $13,700 contract with Siemens is a “Band-Aid,” according to building and grounds chairman Dustin Swartfager. He said the contract does not cover the dismantling of the plates inside the boiler.
Board member Ken Swartfager said he hopes volunteers will help with the dismantling of the boilers this summer.
Ken Swartfager said the problems with this part of the project are little room to work in the boiler room and limited access to the room. The old coal chute would have to be used to remove parts of the boiler. He noted some sections of the boiler weigh 700 pounds.
The parts, he said, would have to be cleaned, which is a process that could take days. “It is an enormous amount of work to do in just two months.”
Dustin Swartfager said the steam boilers leak until enough pressure is built up in the boilers to seal the leak. In cold weather, both the older boiler and the newest boiler both must be used to heat the school.
“If we don’t fix (the older boiler), we won’t be able to have school in the colder months,” Ken Swartfager said. “We have to cobble it up” or pay $10 million to $12 million for a new system, which would include new heating tubes in the walls. “It’s more extensive than most people realize.”
Superintendent Michael Hall said the district is going to apply for a new state grant that is designed to help schools with building and grounds problems.
However, Ken Swartfager said, “We can’t depend on a state grant. If we open up the boiler and find that it cannot be repaired, that would be the point of no return.”
Dustin Swartfager said if a new system is needed, it would take 12 to 15 months to obtain the materials.
Suicide prevention
She said the “Sources of Strength” program relies on peer counseling. “We have found students are more likely to talk with their peers about a problem than they are with an adult.”
McNaughton said 42 students would be trained over three years to talk with fellow students, and that the program would have about 15 students added to it annually to replace students after they graduate.
Teachers and counselors will vet the students eligible for the program. There also will be five adults involved with the program.
“We are not training student psychologists,” McNaughton said. “This is a way to move students at risk away from the cliff.”
School meals
The board approved a renewal of the contract with Nutrition Inc. to provide meals for the schools. Food costs are expected to increase by 5%, which is half of the increase the districts are incurring. Nutrition also is introducing several new items, including Korean “pot stickers” and items that meet the new federal nutrition guidelines. Melissa Brock is the new food service director at Keystone.
Robotics
Two elementary school teams qualified for the VEX Robotics World Championship, April 25 through May 3, in Dallas. The board said the district would pay for the teachers and students expenses only.
“We are handling this trip just like any other field trip,” Ken Swartfager said. The funds for the trip will be taken from the student activities fund and budgeted funds. The Vex Club has asked for donations to help fund the trip.
The next meeting of the Keystone School Board will be at 7 p.m. April 15 at the Clarion County Career Center.