Steeleville school board gets costly news

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ Dave Mevert of Mevert Professional Associates told the Steeleville school board last Thursday that they have some high cost projects on the horizon.

Mevert said the high school gym will need a new roof and both buildings will need new windows. He estimated the costs at more than $200,000 for the roof work and approximately $367,000 for the window replacements. He noted that there is no urgency for either project at this time, but they will have to be addressed in the near future.

The work, when it is done, will probably require a life safety bond sale. In December, the board will make a final payment of $215,125 of revenue bonds sold in 2001 to pay for a grade school addition.

The board hired Mevert to conduct a Ten Year Life Safety survey of both the elementary and high school buildings at a fee of $3,000.

The board received bad news from Steeleville Mayor Mike Armstrong concerning tax increment financing funds. The board will not receive an expected $25,000 in TIF money as no written redevelopment plan for the project was submitted, according to the city attorney.

The district had hoped for reimbursement for part of the costs for renovation of the high school library.

In other business: A request from Brian Belcher for his industrial arts class to participate in a renovation project was approved.

A trip to New York in May was approved for high school art students.

Joel Heidemann's resignation as a math and science teacher at the high school was accepted.