Elementary school to get new heating, cooling units

Extensive problems at West Lane Elementary caused by 30-year-old heating and air conditioning units will soon be solved.

During their meeting Thursday night, the Jackson School Board accepted a $178,278 bid for roof-top HVAC units from R&B Mechanical in Perryville, Mo.

"We've been limping along for some time with the heating and air conditioning at West Lane," said assistant superintendent Jim Welker. "They're practically falling apart."

Welker said the units break down often, and their age has made ordering new parts difficult. He expects work to be completed on the new units, which will be gas instead of electric like the current ones, by early summer.

Board members also approved a $30,210 bid from ASA Asphalt to re-surface the track at R.O. Hawkins Junior High, which school officials say is in dire need of repair due to cracks and uneven asphalt.

Board members recognized South Elementary fourth-grade teacher Audrey Norman for receiving the Outstanding Beginning Teacher Award earlier this month from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Assistant superintendent Dr. Rita Fisher presented Norman with an inscribed photograph album in honor of her award, for which she was nominated by Southeast Missouri State University.