Banner Graphic, Volume 11, Number 107, Greencastle, Putnam County, 7 January 1981 — Page 1

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BELLE UNION SCHOOL: Faces possible remodeling within 30 days

State Fire Marshal's Office orders changes at Belle Union School

By LARRY GIBBS Banner-Graphic Publisher The South Putnam School Corp. may be forced to remodel the Belle Union Elementary School gymnasium into classrooms to satisfy a directive from the State Fire Marshal, despite the fact the corporation is moving swiftly toward construction of a $4 million building to consolidate the Belle Union and Fillmore schools. During Monday night’s meeting of the South Putnam School Board, Supt. James N. Hammond said a Dec. 9 state inspection at Belle Union, requested by an unidentified parent, resulted in notification that the corporation is violating state law which prohibits the location of kindergarten, first or second grade classrooms either above or below ground level. THE IRONY OF THE SITUATION, as anyone familiar with the Belle Union building is aware, is that none of the school’s rooms are situated at ground level. By virtue of the half-century-old building’s design, all classrooms are either below or above the grade-level main entrance. The State Fire Marshal’s order, dated Dec. 27, ignores the physical layout of the school and directs the corporation to correct the situation within 30 days. “That building has no rooms at grade level, so we’re in violation for all three grades - kindergarten, first and second,” Hammond told the board. “But there is no way we can possibly comply with this order because none of the existing classrooms would be acceptable. I have written for a variance, but have received no response yet.” “YOU MEAN THIS IS THE first time the State Fire Marshal has inspected that building?” asked board member Art Evans. “I searched the records and found that it had been inspected several years ago, but apparently nothing happened as a result,” Hammond answered. “But you gentlemen are going to have to make a decision. I can’t ignore this order from the state.” During the ensuing discussion Hammond said there is no way the corporation could send the three Belle Union grades either to Fillmore or Reelsville. He said the older building at Fillmore has the same design problem as Belle Union except for two small rooms in the rear, while the newer Fillmore building and the Reelsville building have no room to accomodate additional students. BOARD MEMBERS THEN mentioned

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Light snow ending overnight with clearing toward morning. Cold with low 10-15. Mostly sunny and cold Wednesday. High upper teens to low 20s. Chance of precipitation dropping to less than cent overnight Indiana Extended Outlook A cold and dry period Thursday through Saturday. Highs will be in the teens and 20s. Lows in the single digits to the low teens.

Banner Graphic Putnam County, Wednesday,

the possibility of using the Belle Union gym, which is located at ground level, by errecting partitions for classrooms. Hammond said that possibility, which would likely create four classrooms, might have to be pursued if the state refuses the corporation a waiver of its order. Hammond said the State Fire Marshal’s Dec. 27 letter said the only instances in which the three grades could be below or above grade level are: - If the building is equipped with sprinklers. - If the building is of Type I construction, which Hammond said he assumed involves fireproof materials. -- Unless exit from the classrooms is provided at grade level. THAT THIRD EXCEPTION was in terpreted by the board to mean fire escapes, but Hammond said those fire escapes would have to be ramps from the school’s upper floors. He said preliminary calculations indicated that a ramp sufficient for fire escape purposes would extend almost to the road on the north side of the school. “It’s been like that for 50 years,” said board member Sherman Hactfer, who represents Jefferson Twp. Acknowledging that he too is concerned about the safety of students, he added, “I can’t see having to make such a change in the last year or two.” The consensus of the board was that the corporation should press for a waiver of the directive and that, if necessary, board members would meet directly with the State Fire Marshal’s Staff to seek a solution. “I AM HOPING THEY will grant a variance,” Hammond concluded. “I wanted to make you aware of the situation. We’ll see what happens.” In other action, the board heard an hourlong presentation by Dr. William Day of Indiana University, a school construction specialist who the board is considering hiring as a consultant during the planning of the South Putnam East Elementary School. The Belle Union-Fillmore consolidation is planned for construction on the southwest corner of the intersection of U.S. 40 and County Road 725 E. During a detailed explanation of his educational philosophies and his approach to school building programs, Dr. Day said he had helped plan approximately $600,000 million worth of school facilities over the last 13 years in 27 states, the District of Columbia and one foreign country. “TODAY. MOST SCHOOL systems have

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only X number of dollars to work with,” Day told the board. “But in the last three or four years, inflation has run away and enrollments have declined. Most patrons still are under the impression of ‘lf enrollment is declining, why is it costing more?’ Inflation, salaries, energy, other factors - the cost of everything has gone up. The fact is, it’s costing more to educate fewer people.” Day said the South Putnam School Board must make elementary building decisions based on several alternatives, which he said include doing nothing, building an elementary on the alreadydesignated site or building it adjacent to the high school, as some patrons have urged. “But the board must take the facts - not biases, opinions or emotion -- and make decisions on one of those alternatives for the good of the school corporation. Generally, that’s not difficult. What is difficult is pressure from special interest groups who say ‘lt should be built here’ or it should be built there.’ “THE PUBLIC IS DEMANDING greater involvement in the decisionmaking process, and rightfully so,” Day continued. “And often we, as educators, haven’t done the best job of providing them with the reasons for our actions. There are no pat answers and every situation is different, but the biggest service I feel I can provide to the corporation is to help separate needs from wants. When it comes to knowing how to organize and present things to the public, I’ve had as much experience as just about anyone in the country. “Involve the public, staff and faculty,” Day said, “but make sure they understand the final decision rests with the board of school trustees.” If retained by the corporation, Day said he would work closely with faculty and staff members to incorporate their individual classroom needs into the design of the proposed elementary building. He also said he would remain in close contact with the architects during construction and provide as much all-around assistance to the board as possible. DAY SAID HIS FEE would be $2,500, an amount he said he has charged for similar services provided to other corporations. He told the board that his fee should be paid by the architect as part of the final agreement between the architect and the corporation. If retained, he said his period of service would begin immediately and Col. 1, back page, this section

Park Board short one Applications for the vacant position of park superintendent will be accepted at the next regular session of the Greencastle Park Board, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday in City Hall. Although Larry Taylor has been selected to fill Larry Crawley’s SeeondWard position on the Council, Jane Harlan is currently checking to see if the park board opening must be filled by a Council representative. The meeting is open to the public.

Commissioners appoint Pierson county attorney

By BECKYIGO Banner-Graphic Area News Editor County appointments were the main order of business served up at Monday’s county commissioners meeting as the board elected Stephen S. Pierson, Greencastle, to serve as county attorney. Commissioner Jim Malayer made the motion to appoint Pierson as attorney which was followed with a second from Don Walton. Malayer and Walton cast “yes” votes for that motion, while Commissioner Elbert Irwin abstained. PIERSON WAS PRESENT to begin his duties at the board’s first meeting of the year. He replaces former county attorney Jerald Calbert who has served in that position for the last nine years. One of Pierson’s first actions was to aid the board in finalizing the proposed text of an ordinance designed to halt the development of hazardous waste landfills in Putnam County. A rough draft of the ordinance was read at the Dec. 15 meeting of the commissioners and closely follows the text of the same type of ordinance approved by Clay County officials. THE ORDINANCE, IN ITS entirety, was published in the Dec. 15 editi an of the Ban-ner-Graphic, but since that time, two alterations were made by the board. A penalty has now been added calling for any violation to be “punishable by a fine of not less than SIOO nor more than $1,000.” Each day’s violation is to constitute a separate offense. Another addition states the ordinance is to be in full effect from and after its passage by the commissioners. THE COMMISSIONERS completed two public readings of the ordinance and is scheduled to conduct a third reading at their Jan. 19 meeting. It is then the board hopes to have the ordinance finalized and into effect . Also, as required by law, the ordinance will be published twice in its complete form before official action is taken at the next meeting. Just how effective the ordinance is to be

Cloverdale's school bus bid award questioned

By MICHELE FLINT Banner-Graphic Staff Writer CLOVERDALE-A bit of controversy arose at the regular meeting of the Cloverdale Board of School Trustees Monday night when a bidder questioned the validity of some of the contract bids submitted on four bus routes. Harold Belcher, who turned in two bids on one of the routes up for consideration, protested that bid specifications for the routes were for 1977 or newer vehicles and that the bids accepted by the board were for older buses. THE BIDS WERE TAKEN advisement when the transportation committee met Dec. 15 to open the proposals. After adjournment, the committee rejected all bids and began negotiations with Les Brummett on all four routes. His fleet bid on the routes, based on a six-year contract, were later accepted by the committee and presented at the Jan. 5 meeting for the board’s approval, which was unanimous. All of the vehicles on Brummett’s bids were 19765. “I have talked about the bids to Dr. (Bernard) Haag, and I feel I wasn’t exactly informed on how to bid. I made bids on newer equipment and the bids were accepted on older,” Belcher pointed out. Supt. Haag, acknowledging that he had spoken to Belcher on the problem, told members, “We made the specifications on ’77 vehicles to avoid old, old equipment. I called the DPI (Department of Public Instruction) on the escalator clause, and asked them what to do. They said if I felt justified with this, to stick with it. Harold did spend time in here discussing it. If he felt he came away with the wrong impression, then I’m sorry.” HAAG SAID ALTHOUGH the bids specified that year vehicle, that each bidder had been informed as he came in to pick up the specifications, that the committee reserved the right to accept bids based on this and and all other specs, and also reserved the right to go with a bid on older vehicles if it ultimately benefitted the school. Belcher told the trustees, “I thought everyone had to be on ’77 or newer equipment. I talked to T)r. Haag, and I thought all bids would be rejected if they were on equipment under that specification.

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STEPHEN PIERSON New county attorney is a question that remains unknown, according to Pierson. “I would hate to say the ordinance will stop the present landfill,” he said, referring to the ILWD hazardous waste landfill being developed near Russellville in northern Putnam County. “MY OPINION IS IT may stop it and it may not,” Pierson continued. “That is something the courts will have to decide. But if we don’t take some kind of action, there will be no way to stop it. The commissioners are hoping to pass this ordinance with the intent of preventing the landfill.” When asked if the county would pursue the enforcement of the proposed ordinance through the courts to halt the ILWD operation, Commissioner Don Walton answered affirmatively. “My advice is that it may be too late to stop ILWD,” Pierson said bluntly. “They would probably defend against this by saying that it (the ordinance) is unconstitutional. "BUT THE COUNTY IS passing this ordinance presuming it is constitutional. If we do go to the courts, at least we will have this in our arsenal. Whether or not it will

Haag again emphasized, “We contacted everyone as they came in for the specifications. . .1 told everyone the same thing.” Belcher then stated that he didn’t interpret the information as everyone else did. “THE SPECIFICATIONS were for ’77 or newer. The bids were accepted on ’76s. I can’t bid $15,000 against a SIO,OOO piece of equipment.” Belcher said, “And there’s that much difference between the ’77 and ’76.” “I wasn’t told I could bid older than a 1977 bus,” he continued. “Maybe the others were told I just don’t feel I was. I don’t feel it was a fair bid.” Board member Daryl Branneman asked Belcher if he would have bid on an older bus if he had had the opportunity, and received an affirmative response. Branneman added that he thought everyone had been asked if they understood the night the bids were opened, and he hadn’t heard anything then. BOARD PRESIDENT Fred Mann pointed out that all the bids, regardless of the age of the equipment, were rejected by the committee Dec. 15 and the board had later negotiated with Brummett who gained the contract. “It looks like if all the bids were rejected, everyone can negotiate on them,” Belcher replied. In answer. Mann pointed out it was the board’s prerogative to negotiate with whomever it felt was best once all the bids were rejected. Noting it was too late to do anything about it and that the board believed everything had been done properly. Branneman said the committee went with the best dollars and cents bids and the ’76s compared with the ’77 bids were better, which closed the discussion. BRUMMETT’S FLEET bids, which gained the board’s approval, were $73 per day for Route 4. $79 on Route 7, $75 on Route 11 and $77 on Route 12, over six years. In some bad news for the trustees, it was learned that $41,204 had been deducted from the 1981 budget General Fund by the State Board of Accounts. This came as no real surprise to the members, as Dr. Haag had earlier estimated that around $40,000 Col l. back page, this section

carry weight will be determined by the courts.” Remaining county appointments were later announced with few changes. Former Councy Councilman June Eiteljorge was appointed to replace Lowis Proctor on the county’s Health Board. She will join Loren Salsman who was retained as a member of that board. OTHER APPOINTMENTS include: Alcohol Beverage Commission Board - Fay Scott, Aviation Board -- Paul Myers, CETA administrator -- Ken Johnson, CETA secretary - Dorothy Williams. Civil Defense director - William “Spud” Hurst, county highway superintendent - Harold Baire, and County Home administrators - Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Shinn. Also appointed were courthouse employees -- John Vermillion. Ronald Freeman and Bonnie Wallace; new equip ment operators -- Claude Morphew and John Masten, Hospital Board - Noa! Nicholson, Operation Life Board - Elbert Irwin, Veteran’s Administrator - Car! Torr and WCIEDD Board representative from the commissioners - Don Walton. The commissioners postponed appointments to the County Planning Commission, but are expected to announce those replacements at the Jan. 19 meeting. THE COMMISSIONERS said County Planning Commission member Morris McGaughey, Russellville, resigned his positibn on the board. Board member David Lane’s seat is to also be filled. The commissioners did appoint Commissioner Malayer to serve as their representative to the Planning Commission. Commissioners Walton, Malayer and Irwin serve as the members of the Board of Finance. THE COMMISSIONERS also related in formation that four persons were laid off at the County Highway Department last Friday due to the reduction of funds when county budgets were considered earlier. In final action, Walton was re-elected as president of the board with Malayer chosen to serve as vice president.

The Squeeze' helps explain financing “You did it! I finally understand how schools get their money.” “Excellent presentation.” “Very clear and should be easily grasped by all .” These are some of the comments made by participants in the test presentations of “The Squeeze,” a 15-minute slide/tape program on school finance. This presentation will be given for the Greencastle and Putnam County community at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7 at Charterhouse Lounge of Gobin Church. THE PROGRAM WAS produced by the league of Women Voters of Indiana under a grant from the Lilly Endowment and will be given as a public awareness program by the Greencastle League. ’ “The Squeeze” is an effort on the part of the League to show, in broad outline, the way in which Indiana finances its public schools today, how it has done so in the past, what values underlie the state’s plan for financing local schools, and what the current issues are facing public school finance. It is also an effort to raise the issue of whether a change should be made and to present some alternatives which the state might consider. The slide/tape will be followed by a simulated game. “ABC’s” in which thirty or more players divide into teams and in an comparatively simple manner deepen their understanding of school finance and how a school system similar to ours is affected by different funding arrangements. THIS U A TIMELY topic as the 1981 Legislature must deal with the question of equitable funding and the existing gap between rich and poor schools. School boards and personnel from all of the surrounding school districts have been invited. The public is also invited to come and find out who is being squtc/ed: The public? The school boards” The children? Or someone else.