Geneva School Board Office project moving forward
Oct. 20—GENEVA — The Geneva Area City Schools Board of Education approved a motion to allow Superintendent Terri Hrina-Treharn to approve change orders to the ongoing board office project at a meeting on Wednesday night.
District Treasurer Kevin Lillie said the move would help speed construction by allowing the superintendent to approve changes.
"This just gives the superintendent some limited authority to approve the change orders and keep the project moving, so they don't have to wait until our monthly meeting to approve the change order," he said.
Lillie said this was also done when the district constructed new schools and a new bus garage.
According to the initial motion, any single change order over $10,000 or any change orders totaling over $20,000 per month would still require board approval, and Hrina-Treharn would have to report back to the board at meetings regarding approved change orders.
Hrina-Treharn said the district has received one change order, an increase in the size of sewer lines from the proposed office, which would increase the cost by $3,122.
"This would come out of the contingency allocation," she said.
Board member Amber Metzler said she would feel better if the board was hearing about any change order above $5,000.
Hrina-Treharn said she would report to the board any change order she approved to the board.
Metzler moved to amend the proposal, to allow Hrina-Treharn to approve change orders of as much as $5,000, and no more than $10,000 per month.
Lillie said the project should not have a large number of change orders.
The amendment to the motion was approved, with Metzler and board members Marti Milliken Dixon and Sarah Fisher voting yes and board president Jamie Ortiz and board member Richard Arndt voting no on the amendment.
The amended motion passed unanimously.
In other business:
—The board discussed the selection of a search firm for a new treasurer. Lillie previously announced he plans to retire next year.
Metzler said as she was reviewing the proposals, they all looked similar, so she suggested using the firm Lillie recommended.
Milliken Dixon said the firms all had almost exactly the same information.
Ortiz suggested hiring the firm, using its highest level.
Milliken Dixon agreed.
"I think if we're going to spend the money to help with the search, we definitely want to find someone to replace someone irreplaceable, so if we're going to spend the money, we might as well do it," she said.
—The school board recognized staff from the various buildings for their years of service.
"Today, we are going to be honoring those who have at least 10 years of service," Hrina-Treharn said.
Staff honored at the meeting had between 10 and 14 years of service, she said.
At next month's meeting, the board will honor staff with 15 years of service or more.
—The board also recognized Nathan Miller as one of 34,000 students nationwide to be honored as a National Merit Commended Student.
Geneva High School Principal Michael King said the award would open a number of doors for Miller at different colleges.
—The district received a grant for more than $4,000 for cyber-security, Lillie said.
—Hrina-Treharn told board members about correspondence from Penny Neubauer from the Ashtabula County District Library. She said the Geneva Public Library will be undertaking a large expansion project starting in the spring, and was seeking a formal agreement with the schools for the library to use the Geneva Middle School parking lot for overflow parking at times when school is not in session.
Neubauer said the library is not anticipating needing the school's lot at all, but the potential issue was raised in meetings with the city.
