Jill Carr, left, and Ginny Stewart received golden apples at Tuesday’s Bowling Green City Schools board of education meeting, which was their last. Both have served on the board for eight years and neither sought reelection.
There is nothing tangible taking place with the plans for a new Bowling Green High School.
But there is much work going on behind the scenes, said Bowling Green City Schools Superintendent Ted Haselman at Tuesday’s school board meeting.
He said the district was finalizing the sale of short-term notes, which will allow interest earnings to start accumulating.
There will be a credit rating meeting prior to the sale of bonds planned for the end of January. Once that process is complete, the district can go to market and sell bonds in the spring, he said.
The bonds will be sold through a brokerage firm with an interest rate that is yet to be determined, Haselman explained.
The bonds will be paid back using tax dollars collected from the issue that was approved by voters in November, he said.
The board approved DLR Group as its architectural firm to finish the project.
Haselman and district Treasurer Cathy Schuller will negotiate with the firm, which is currently in charge of the district’s facilities master plan, to provide architect services for the new high school.
The district received three responses to its requests for qualifications for architect services.
DLR Group was the the top pick by Haselman and Schuller.
The firm, which has offices in Cleveland and Columbus, was hired in May to evaluate all the district’s facilities and is in charge of the facilities master plan.
Twice this fall, DLR Group representatives led community meetings, including the unveiling of its design for the new high school.
The community supported the new school in November by approving a $72.8 million bond issue to fund construction.
Buehrer Group, Maumee, was the second choice and Kleinfelder, of Bowling Green, was the third.
Contract negotiations will commence with DLR Group with an agreement presented to the school board at a future meeting. If an agreement is not successfully negotiated, discussions will begin with Buehrer Group.
Haselman said the district in January or February will publish a request for quotes for a construction manager for the project.
“There’s much more to come,” he said.
The board approved a school donation agreement between the school district and a local developer.
Bowling Green HealthCare Real Estate, LLC is building The Willows at Bowling Green, an independent and assisted living facility, at 525 S. Dunbridge Road.
The city has offered the company a 100% Community Reinvestment Area tax abatement for 10 years on construction and improvements relating to the project.
The company will make 10 annual payments of $81,982 to the school district.
Also at the meeting, board members Ginny Stewart and Jill Carr were lauded for their service for the past eight years. Neither one sought reelection.
The countless hours of work and the criticism one can endure as well as making tough decisions can weigh on you, said board President Ryan Myers.
“Both of you have put these things to the side and focused on students, staff and helping this district and community,” he said. “That kind of commitment deserves all of our respect.”
He presented Stewart and Carr with golden apples engraved with their name and a thank you for their service from 2016-2023.
Bowling Green Education Association President Jeff Nichols expressed the gratitude of BGEA members for Stewart and Carr for their time on the board.
“The idea that you always had the best interest of the students, the teachers, the faculty, the support staff at heart I think is absolutely true,” he said.
You will always have the gratitude of the teachers who knew that no matter what your decision, you had thought it out and tried to do the best for everybody, Nichols said.
“I know that being a board member can be very challenging,” Haselman said.
And although he has never served on a school board, “I recognize the challenges that they go through on a daily basis.
“On behalf of the students at Bowling Green City Schools, thank you very much,” he said to Stewart and Carr.
Myers, in his last report as school board president, highlighted the year’s successes, including the superintendent’s search to replace Francis Scruci, record-setting donations from the community, new and updated security focused on student safety, and passage of the bond issue.
“I believe all of us – the entire Bowling Green City Schools community – can be proud of the year we just had,” he said.
“I am proud of the work this board has put in this year,” he added. “It is a great time to be a Bobcat.”
The board also:
Accepted the retirement of Laurence Berg, middle school French/Spanish teacher, effective June 1.
Renewed its memberships with Bowling Green Economic Development for $1,000.
Learned district enrollment as of Dec. 1 was 2,682.
