New Lexington school slightly behind schedule; completion date pushed back 15 days
LEXINGTON — The new school for grades 7-12 is a little behind schedule.
Jeremy Secrist, superintendent for Lexington Local Schools, gave the board of education an update on the construction project at Wednesday's monthly meeting.
The original completion date was scheduled to be July 15. It has been bumped back to July 30.
"We're about 15 days behind, which is not bad considering everything," Secrist said, adding it is common for major projects to be behind schedule.
He is keeping his eye on the July 30 date, though.
"We need at least the entire month of August to move in there," Secrist said.
The superintendent highlighted one of his favorite parts of the new school.
"The courtyard is starting to come together," Secrist said. "It's going to be cool. It's a big, beautiful space."
Next month, the current high school is scheduled for demolition. Many of the items that have been moved are being stored at Heartland Church. Secrist said some of those items could be sold at auction eventually.
Because of the demolition, Secrist said the summer board meetings likely would be held at Eastern Elementary School, which has air conditioning.
Five-year financial forecast looks strong
Treasurer Jason Whitesel presented his five-year forecast for the school district.
It showed Lexington is projected to have at a cash balance of at least $10 million for the next three fiscal years.
"Regarding the five-year forecast, there are no major changes from the November update, but the forecast continues to reflect Lexington Schools on solid financial footing as we finish out the 2021-2022 school year," Whitesel said. "A number of factors have contributed to this, including responsible financial decisions by the board, the reinstatement of state funds previously cut, the impact of the Fair School Funding model recently passed and the continued impact of federal assistance for COVID-related costs.
"The forecast demonstrates the importance of property taxes and state funding and also reflects financial stability throughout the entirety of the forecast as we continue to do the important work of meeting the needs of our students while ensuring we remain good stewards of public dollars for our community."
Board hires administrators, coaches
In other business, the board approved a number of personnel moves, including hiring a couple of administrators.
Veteran teacher Stacy Davis was promoted to dean of students for Eastern, effective Aug. 1. She and her family were in attendance.
"We are excited about bringing her on," Secrist said. "She's going to make the team better."
Johneen Gordon received a two-year contract to be the transportation director, starting Aug. 1 and continuing through July 31, 2024.
"It's a big job; we all know that," Secrist said. "She comes highly recommended, and we're glad to have her."
Board members also hired two varsity coaches. Daryl Uhde will take over as girls basketball coach. He previously led St. Peter's to three consecutive appearances at the state tournament.
John Watkins was hired as the wrestling coach.
In the public comment portion of the meeting, recent Lexington graduate Jonathan Fahey asked if the red brick portion of the junior high could be saved. It dates to 1899.
The junior high is scheduled for demolition in September.
While saving it is highly unlikely, Secrist said he plans to ask architects if the forthcoming K-6 building could be built near the junior .
"They might tell us no, but we want to look at it," the superintendent said.
Residents can go on building tours, watch fun video
People interested in touring the high school and the junior high before they are taken down can go on tours from 9 a.m. to noon and 5 to 8 p.m. May 24, 25, 27 and 31.
Graduation is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday. It will take place at 7:30 p.m. Sunday in case of inclement weather, or in the gym at the same time if it rains again.
Secrist highlighted a fun project, the so-called Lip Dub. Students and staff made a video of their last hurrah at the high school.
"The kids were phenomenal," he said. "It's on our website."
Sally Giefer headed up the project, while Tommy Secrist handled the music.
People who would like to see the video can visit lexington.k12.oh.us or go to
https://vimeo.com/709948663?fbclid=IwAR2ryezPLtknFnfBt_eYmj4pUPvlwAYevkG6fy-IgZBZ8XsHP9CUNJyK7zw.
mcaudill@gannett.com
419-521-7219
Twitter: @MNJCaudill
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Lexington Board of Education receives update on new building
