Tuesday, November 25, 1997
Bids ordered on six new classrooms
By JONATHAN KRYDER
Staff Writer
New shacks and wider tracks may hit Abilene school campuses
if the board continues with its current plans.
After hearing a report presented by Woodson and Locust Principal
Cheryl Cunningham, the board ordered bids on six new classrooms
at the Woodson Early Childhood Center.
David Polnick, deputy superintendent for business and finance,
estimated an awarding of bids by spring. If a bid is accepted,
construction would begin by late summer and continue for six to
eight months.
Today 28 children await enrollment at the Locust facility.
That figure has dropped from 150 last year. Six additional classrooms
would hold 120 students.
Each campus currently uses portable buildings for additional
space - three at Locust, four at Woodson.
Head Start, a federally funded program, requires that participating
schools allow at least 35 square feet per child. The early childhood
centers must also maintain a 1:22 teacher-student ratio.
Cunningham reported each school meets both requirements.
Polnick said he expects the Woodson addition to cost "slightly
over $1 million."
Faced with the choice of campuses for the construction, the
board decided on Woodson after Superintendent Charles Hundley
advised them that Woodson has more unused acreage than Locust.
The administration reported it could bus children from anywhere
in the district to the Woodson facility.
The board also considered a proposal to rebuild the Cooper
High School track as an 8-lane, 400-meter track. Like Abilene
High's, Cooper's current track contains five lanes at the turns
with a length of 440 yards.
"It just does not fit today's track program," which
has moved to the metric system, Polnick said.
If the board chooses to wait until summer, the estimated cost
would be roughly $200,000 to rebuild the Cooper track. Immediate
construction would cost more.
The board also considered adding additional dressing areas,
restrooms and seating at the track.
"I think we need to do a study of everything involved,"
Hundley said.
Polnick said the district may address reconstruction of the
AHS track next year. The board will discuss further the track
proposal at a later time.
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Copyright ©1997,
Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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