By Wade Warren

SDN Managing Editor

Although no surprise, the underlying theme of the Snyder ISD long-range strategic facilities report presented Thursday night is that the district is faced with aging buildings that need improvement.

In presenting the report to the board of trustees, Bill Branum of Total Program Management Inc. said the report’s intent is to provide an overview of existing conditions and not to make recommendations.

“We’re providing scenarios for what the district can do with their facilities,” said Branum.

“The report provides a great deal of flexibility of what can be done in Snyder,” said Branum, again emphasizing that the findings weren’t recommendations from his firm.

“We’re identifying needs.”

The report gives facility profiles about each campus, and the age of the district’s facilities stands out on each page.

East Elementary was constructed in 1951 and West Elementary was built in 1952.

Northeast Elementary was built in 1957, and Stanfield and the junior high in 1959.

The main part of SHS was constructed in 1952.

The oldest facility still being used in the district is Travis Gym built in 1937, and the oldest building used daily for students is Central Elementary constructed in 1948.

In addition to the age of the district’s facilities, Branum also addressed the number of campus buildings.

“Enrollment is down a 1,000 kids from 10 years ago and you are still using the same number of buildings,” Branum told the board.

Branum said priorities at each campus were developed through interviews with the campus site-based teams and through surveys from each school.

The Hurst company’s report indicated the number one need at the various campuses as given by staff were electrical upgrades.

“These schools were built when there was an electrical socket on one side of the room, and one more on the other side,” said Branum. “That was long before most of us had heard about computers.”

Branum did submit a cost summary of his finding for capital improvements and it totaled $30 million.

Needed improvements at SHS identified in the report totaled $10 million, while needed improvements at the junior totaled $6 million.

Improvements at Central and Central were tagged at more than $3 million each.

East and West improvements totaled more than $2 million each, while Northeast Elementary improvements are projected at $1.7 million.

Branum also presented an option to making improvements to the 50 year-old elementary buildings, and that was the construction of complete new facilities on the sites where East and West elementaries are now located.

This totals $18.9 million <\!m> a figure that nearly equals projected renovations at the elementary campuses.

“I suggest a group of folks who really care about the school district put in the time necessary with this report to see what is best in the long run and bring you their suggestions,” Branum concluded. “The bottom line is to see what is the best way to take care of the kids.”

Trustees and the administration did not comment after the report was presented.

In action items Thursday night, trustees approved one-year contract extensions for all present instructors, with the exception of six who have submitted letters of resignation.

Trustees did approve the resignations of three teachers at West Elementary and a like number at Stanfield.

Retiring at the end of the school year from West are reading teacher Patti Palmer, PPCD teacher Carolyn Hamby and sixth grade teacher Jo Ann Williams.

At Stanfield, second grade teachers Carolyn Martin and Neoma Harlin are retiring, as is resource teacher Linda Cozart.

Trustees also awarded the second phase of the heating and cooling project at Snyder High School to Armstrong Mechanical of Lubbock for $618,870, with the work to be completed before the beginning of the school year in August.

Buildings to receive an upgrade on the SHS campus are the student center and library, industrial arts shops and art classroom, biology-science classrooms, band hall and CVAE shop to include exhaust system work.

Funding will be through maintenance tax notes and budgeted amounts.

Trustees also approved the recommendation of the textbook committee for the adoption of textbooks.

Board vice president Richard Chambers presided in the absence of president Mark McCormick, and members present were Cathy Peoples, Glenn Clarady, Mike Levens and Doug Neff. Also absent was Luann Burleson.