JACKSON PROJECT ADVANCES; BIDDING SCHEDULED FOR A MIDDLE SCHOOL

JACKSON -- A newly reor~ganized Jackson School Board got an upbeat report Tuesday on the status of the district's $5.4 million middle school construction program.

The project received a green light from school district patrons last week by a wide majority.

"We're ready to go to work," said architect John Dudley as he briefed board members.

Dudley said the project will be bid in two packages: the site work package, which should be ready for bidding in about 45 days, and the bid package for the actual construction, now estimated to begin in early November.

The architect said the site work is scheduled to begin in June.

"This is the best time of the year to do this kind of work," he explained. "We've allowed two months for the earthwork and sewer work to be completed. By the end of July or August, we should have our building package ready for bidding."

Once construction of the middle school begins, it will take about a year to complete. That should be sometime in November 1994, Dudley said.

As a part of the site work, Dudley said the school district is working with the city to construct an earthen dam and retention basin at the southern end of the middle school property, located on the southeast corner of Broad Ridge and Route D (West Independence). The retention basin will reduce the flow of storm water draining off the middle school property to adjoining property after heavy rains.

School Superintendent Wayne Maupin said he has already met with the school district's financial adviser, Joy Howard, about the sale of the middle school bonds. Howard is scheduled to meet with the board at its April 27 meeting to discuss the sale of the $4.7 million in general obligation bonds that will help finance construction of the school.

After the meeting, Maupin said he was pleased at the way the project is moving as planned.

"We're working on our financing for the school and issuing of the bonds. All of the key players in this project the architect, the financing are in place right now, and all are working toward making this become a reality as soon as possible," he said.

"Everything is moving toward the final goal of a new middle school for the school district. As always, it's a painfully slow process, but that's just part of it."

In other business, the board accepted the resignation/retirement of Nancy Wickham, who has served 17 years in the school district. She is retiring as secretary at Orchard Elementary School.

A report was presented to the board on the Reading Recovery program that was instituted in the first grade this school year.

In the superintendents report, Maupin told the board the Missouri Mastery Achievement Tests were being administered this week in the district's classrooms. Results of the MMAT will be announced at the board's June 8 meeting.

Prior to its regular meeting, the school board was reorganized after the results of the April 6 school board election were certified.

The re-elected incumbent board members, Dr. T. Wayne Lewis and Darrell Hanschen, and other board members, welcomed the newest and seventh member to be elected to the board, Vicky McDowell. School boards in the state were enlarged from six to seven this year as a result of legislation approved by the Missouri legislature.

During the reorganization, Hanschen was elected board president and Larry Koenig was elected vice president. Jeanette Bollinger was elected board treasurer.