Construction snag hit for new school

ARLINGTON — A problem with beginning construction of the new school was discussed at the Arlington Board of Education meeting Wednesday afternoon. Superintendent Kevin Haught informed the board the soil at the 35-acre site for the new school building is not suitable for construction to start. "Right now we have some water issues as far as getting the right kind of soil so that we can build the pad appropriately," Haught said at the meeting. A building pad is a flat, compact area of soil that is prepared before a foundation can be laid. Preparing the ground will cost $400,000 — "$200,000 a piece" for dewatering and stabilization of the soil, Haught said. "We're going to need to do some dewatering, which means we've got to get the water out of the soil and condition it so it's usable," he said. "We bought that land as a spot to build our building. I guess visually, we thought it was a perfect spot to build our building," Board President Craig Durliat said. "It's not as perfect of a spot as you visually see when you get into the makeup of the dirt and layers and unforeseen conditions." Construction for the new school is expected to last about two years, and cost $36 million for the almost 100,000-square-foot facility. The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission will pay 41% of the costs for the school, while the district will cover the remaining 59%. Voters OK'd operating funds and a bond issue for the new building in the November 2022 election. They approved a 0.5% income tax on a continuing basis and a 37-year, 9.9-mill bond issue to generate $19.1 million for the construction. A groundbreaking ceremony for the new school occurred on May 15. Other business Separately, two supplemental contracts for cheerleading coaches Kim Cortez and Kaydence Edgell were approved by the board. A one-year, limited teaching contract for Whittnay Hirschy, an elementary intervention specialist, was also approved by the board. The eighth-grade class trip to Washington D.C. and the senior class trip to New York City scheduled for the spring of 2025 was approved. The board then voted to go into executive session to discuss the employment of certified, non-teaching and supplemental personnel. No action was taken. After returning from executive session, the board approved several supervisor and administrator salaries for the 2024-25 school year: Technology Director Clint Dillon, Transportation Supervisor Chad Hazelton, Elementary Principal Scott Marcum, High School Principal Mark Verroco and Superintendent Kevin Haught. The next regular board of education meeting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. July 17 in the Arlington High School library.