By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green fans have something to cheer about – and soon they will have something new to sit on while doing so.
The board of education voted Tuesday evening to spend $542,000 for new bleachers in the football stadium. A section of the current bleachers was deemed unsafe last year after serious rusting was discovered.
The board voted to spend an extra $14,000 to add slip resistant decking.
“I think $14,000 is a very good deal compared to the lawsuit from somebody slipping,” board member Ed Whipple said.
The district will use its permanent improvement levy revenue to pay for the new bleachers. However, that levy generates $525,000 a year, so general fund monies will also have to be used for the bleachers. District treasurer Rhonda Melchi cautioned the board that the permanent improvement funds may be needed elsewhere.
The $542,000 pays for new bleachers on both the home and visitor sides, handicapped accessible restrooms and pays for the old bleachers to be torn down and taken away.
Kent Buehrer, the engineer on the project, said the bid actually came in 11.3 percent below estimate.
Kenwood Principal Kathleen Daney and Troy Amos tell about water collection for Flint.
Also at Tuesday’s board meeting, Kenwood Elementary Principal Kathleen Daney talked about all the “Community Connection” programs at the school.
Daney listed such programs as:
- Students painting city snow plows.
- One Book BG program, which included the community in the book, “The World According to Humphrey.”
- Thanksgiving canned food drive.
- Caroling at Heritage Corner Nursing Home.
- Dear Santa, a district-wide program adopting 20 families with 55 children during the holidays.
- Jump Rope for Heart, which raised $18,478 at the elementaries for the American Heart Association.
- BG winter art festival in the downtown.
- PTO family dance, which raised supplies for the Cocoon Shelter.
- Family movie night, at which items were collected for the Wood County Humane Society.
- Team ERIN Coin Wars, which raised funds for the injured child of a staff member.
- Red Cross blood drive, which had 139 donors.
Daney also talked about the recent effort started by a fifth grade reading group to collect water for residents of Flint, Michigan. Student Troy Amos joined the principal Tuesday to talk about the project.
“We all started thinking,” he said, after the class read a book about Flint. “Nobody’s helping them in Bowling Green.”
So the students started signup sheets for volunteers to get involved. Daney asked Amos about the results. “Spectacular,” he said. “Everybody just wanted to help out.”
The students collected more than 100 cases of bottled water and 100 gallons to send to Flint.
BGHS girls bowling team recognized
In other business at the meeting, the board:
- Congratulated the girls bowling team for being the 2016 NLL Champions. Superintendent Francis Scruci and Athletic Director Scott Seeliger challenged the team to a game.
- Recognized the high school cheer team for winning the 2016 OASSA Division II Mount Cheerleading State Championship.
- Learned that an anonymous donor had given the district $10,000 to use for a summer reading program. “We just can’t thank the community enough,” Scruci said.
- Accepted a donation from Buehrer Group to be used for new uniforms for the volleyball team.
- Approved the efforts to send intermediate Spanish students to Cuba for a week next year. The trip will be paid for by the students.
BGHS Cheer Team honored
