Fieldcrest Board Hires New Architectural Firm

Fieldcrest Primary Principal, Jason Chaplin, gave an update on the installation of the new playground equipment that the school purchased. He said the installation will be delayed for 2 months because the contractor is back logged due to the excessive rain this past spring. He said the equipment is being stored at SMF until it is ready for installation. Mr. Chaplin said the area where the equipment will be installed will be fenced off until installation can be completed. He said the equipment has been purchased through a fund drive that was started 5 years ago.

Dr. Oakley gave a presentation illustrating the positive impact the area's wind farms will have on the school's finances. He said the current wind farm east of Minonk has 75 wind turbines and generates almost $1 million dollars a year in revenue for the school district. However, since the school's state aid is inversely correlated with EVA per pupil and since the EVA per pupil is increased by the wind farm revenue, the state aid is cut to where the school ends up with around $550,000.

Dr. Oakley said there are 2 new wind farms that are getting ready for construction within the school district next year. He said when these new wind farms are in production, the school district could get up to another $1 million a year after state aid reductions. He cautioned the school board not to invest this additional money into long term financial commitments since the state could change its policy on how it handles its state aid which could reduce the revenue from the wind farms. He said this additional money should be used for construction projects, maintenance and one time purchases.  He encouraged the support of the wind farms because of its economic potential for the school district.

The full text of Dr. Oakley's presentation can be viewed at this link.

Dr. Oakley said he contacted the various Fieldcrest communities to determine the level of police protection. While Minonk has 24 hour coverage, Wenona has mostly night duty with sporadic day coverage while Toluca has night police protection only. Board member Charles Lohr asked Dr. Rockwell to look into the possibility of hiring resource officers to cover the various schools. Board member Jordan Meyer suggested contacting the officials in Wenona and Toluca to see if they would consider having day duty police protection during the week.

The meeting was concluded with a discussion on what to do with the former Presbyterian Church building that the school purchased for $40,000 12 years ago. Dr. Oakley said the building is in a state of disrepair and see he would like to see the building demolished sooner rather than later. He said the building is contaminated with mold and asbestos and will require expert removal of this material. He also said new funding will be required to pay for the demolition.

Dr, Oakley said the building was initially used for storage but in 2017 the furnace went out and he said it wasn't worth putting money into a new furnace at that point and so the building sat empty and unheated for several years.

Jordan Meyer asked if consideration should be given to selling the church. Dr. Oakley said that would put the school at risk at what type of neighbor the school would have.

Board member Elizabeth Palm asked if the outside walls are still structurally sound. Maintenance Supervisor Ron Kreiser said they were ok. Ms. Palm said if the walls are good, perhaps the inside should be gutted and then see how much that cost before deciding whether it is more economical to tear it down or perhaps redesign the inside into a useful building such as a performing arts center. She agree that decisions need to be made sooner rather than later.