School board discusses road near high school

By Diane Graff of the Daily Times staff
Thursday, August 21, 2008 12:38 PM CDT

The Watertown Unified School District Board of Education will consider expanding Carriage Hill Drive when it meets next week for its regular session.

“It is a win/win situation,” school district Superintendent Douglas Keiser told the board Wednesday night during a special meeting.

“If we decided to build on the property we have a road and won't have to pay for it,” he said.

The road would extend to the north end of the high school property and be adjacent to the eastern edge of Brandt/Quirk Park. The extension of the roadway, as proposed by the state Department of Transportation, would make access to the northern section of the property easier and all the costs associated with the road construction would be paid by the state as part of the state Highway 26 bypass project.

If the road is not extended, the property would be landlocked when the bypass is complete, Keiser pointed out.

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The idea was presented to the board about 18 months ago, and now the state is moving ahead with its plans. The district has been approached by the state to extend the road through the property. The road would not connect to another road as Provimi Road to the north will not exist, according to school board President Kate Lapin.

There would be no outlet at the north end of the road. There would be a T intersection that sets the stage for a future east/west roadway, according to Doug Linse, director of business services.

The state is seeking 2.74 acres of land from the district to extend the roadway through the school district property. The district would dedicate the land to the state and receive $1 for the property, but would not have to pay for the road construction.

According to plans presented by the DOT, the road would include a slight curve to the east to avoid federally owned trees on the property. The road would also provide access to the woods, Linse pointed out.

The road construction would include the pavement, curb and gutter. No utilities would be included in the construction.

The road would returned to city jurisdiction upon completion. Construction is planned for 2010.

The extension would provide access should a school be built on that part of the high school property.

Bob Norman of Eppstein Uhen Architects, updated the board on the options for needed upgrades and expansions of school district facilities. The district's community advisory committee has been meeting weekly to discuss recommendations on future referendum questions.

The committee is expected to make a written report to the board in the near future, Keiser said. The architectural firm is expected to offer alternatives and options for moving ahead.

“The committee has made a lot of progress in the last three months,” Norman said. “It has been gaining momentum. Last night (Tuesday) we narrowed down some options.

“I want to make it clear to the board the committee is aware of the needs,” Norman said. The committee has not decided how many referendums will be recommended.

The committee looked at five primary options and has narrowed it down to three, Norman said. A report should be available to the board in September, he said.

The deadline is Sept. 19 to get a referendum question on the Nov. 4 ballot, Keiser said. “It is very likely we may need to have several meetings to have a referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot,” he told the board members.

The board approved a contract with R. W. Baird and Kit Dailey for public information and community engagement services in connection with the building referendum.

In other business, Linse noted preparations for the 2008-09 budget are behind schedule. “We are not looking at any major reductions this year,” he said. “I am shooting for preliminary approval at the end of September,” he added. Final adoption is planned for late October.

The board did approve the low bid of $45,550 from Weis Excavating of Johnson Creek for a new septic system at Lebanon Elementary School. Depending on the issuance of the permit, the work could be completed by the start of the school year.

The district is staffed and ready to go for the coming year, according to Rob Baxter, the district's director of human resources. Of the 270 teachers, there are 16 new teachers and one teacher filling a new position at Schurz Elementary School. “A 6 percent turnover rate in teaching staff is low,” Baxter said.

There are eight new teachers at the high school, three at the middle school, one each at Douglas, Lincoln and Webster elementary school and two new teacher and one additional teacher at Schurz Elementary School.

There are also three new administrators in the district. The board appointed Michael Daniels as assistant principal/athletic director at Watertown High School at a salary of $88,055. He was the principal at Lebanon and Lincoln schools, a position that is vacant. Interviews to fill the position are being held today.

Board members also received tentative calendars for the 2010-11 and 2011 and 2012 school years. The spring break in both calendars has been tightened up and include a Thursday, Friday and Monday. The graduation date in 2010 is proposed for June 5 and in 2011 it would be June 4.

The board met in closed session to discuss the vacant building and grounds supervisor position, the elementary principal position for Lebanon and Lincoln schools and contract negotiations with the support staff.