Polson BOE confronts roof issues

POLSON — At the Polson Board of Education meeting Monday, long-term planning was the main topic of discussion.

With members Theresa Taylor and Brian Havlovick absent, the five remaining board members listened to a presentation from superintendent David Whitesell about the condition of the roofs on the Polson High School and Middle School.

In the presentation, Whitesell showed pictures of both roofs and addressed the issues with each.

“We have a lot of uncertainty about what is exactly up there,” he said. “We are certain, however, that there is no asbestos. That’s good news, as is the three inches of concrete.”

He does know that there is a base layer of concrete that will prove useful if any renovations need to be done. Some areas have a spray-on application, while others have a black membrane on top.

The sprayed-on system was put over a membrane, which has continued to move, causing the sprayed on substance to crack and leak water. This system is over the middle school, built in 1991.

“It has completely flaked off,” Whitesell said. “I think it was supposed to have a 15-year warranty. We are in year two.”

On the high school, which was built in 1973, is the black membrane. It has small tears in its body, but the fundamental issues lie in its seams. Birds also seem to add to the problem, eating the membrane.

Whitesell said if it wasn’t for the original roof underneath, the cost to redo the roofs and the amount of leaks would increase exponentially.

The planned costs are $11.56 per square foot for a total of $804,000, as there is an area of 69,018 square feet. This estimate is based on the Shepherd School District, which installed a new roof within the last couple months.

The District has applied for two grants, but with no luck. Another application was sent earlier this month.

“I’ll continue to try and find free money, but after three attempts, two failed and one in the works, I’m starting to have concerns,” Whitesell said.

He presented options of low interest loans, using Great Falls as an example, and a bond levy, which he said was the least favorable approach.

Board member Kelly Bagnell suggested a tornado to help with the process.

“It happened in Billings,” she said.

Whitesell has been in discussions with the company from Missoula that supplied the membrane.

“The warranty [on the high school roof] has come and gone, but they were surprised we are having problems,” Whitesell said.

As far as a timeline for the roofs, the board agreed that the sooner something is done, the better.

“We don’t want to get into the same situation as Linderman,” Bagnell said. “We don’t want it condemned.”

Funding will be the biggest hurdle, Whitesell said.

“We don’t want to have to hold a bond,” he said. “We want to find the low money, that low-hanging fruit. If we have to take it to the voters, we want to have done our homework.”

In other news, Whitesell also recommended reducing a secretary position in the District Office. One secretary had retired and, with a shifting in secretaries, costs could be cut by not filling the opening. No one would lose a job and costs would be cut, Whitesell said.

Board member Vernon Finley said he was impressed with the action taken by Whitesell.

“I appreciate how you have looked at economic savings,” Finley said. “In the past, the costs in the District Office have been in dispute. This is a nice change.”

School nurses Amy Knutson and Millie Nesladek gave a nurses report thanking the board for the support they received through the school year.

“We had a busy year,” Nesladek said. “We want to express the appreciation we have for the board. We feel fortunate to have a good student-to-nurse ratio.”

The current ratio is about one nurse to every 750 students. In other places in the state, it is one nurse to 1,200 students.

The H1N1 flu was a concern the nurses faced at the beginning of the 2009-10 school year. Both nurses said they prepped for an outbreak, but that it was over by November.

“Students weren’t as ill as predicted,” Nesladek said.

A definitive number of cases was unknown, but for a two-to-three week period during November, about 40 percent of students were absent with illness.

“Even I got it,” Nesladek said.

Knutson said that some of the patients that visited the nurses just needed “a little lovin’.”

“Sometimes they just need a hug,” she said. “That’s what we do.”

Board member Kelly Bagnell thanked the nurses for the caring they provided.

“You triage a lot of patients every day with a smile,” she said.