Prospects look good for artificial turf at the Wayland High School football stadium and softball, baseball and soccer fields.

Patricia Velie, director of buildings and grounds and finance director for the school district, outlined projects and costs for the next two academic years, 2019-20 and 1920-21, which includes spending nearly $1.5 million on turf, track and lighting in the latter year.

Artificial turf was one of the “wants” identified in the bond issue of 2016, but it was part of a more than $50 million proposal that was turned down. The school board came back a year later to get a bond passed for a middle school addition and new tennis courts, along with other improvements.

Velie told the board in a work session Monday evening that projects to be paid for by the public improvement fund in Gun Lake Casino revenue this year will include the fifth payment for the high school science wing, Fine Arts Center renovations, pool repairs, roofing, acoustics in music rooms, direct signage, security film, middle school hall LED lighting and Steeby Elementary bookshelves totaled $629,158.

By adding an anticipated 5% increase in Gun Lake Casino revenue to more than $900,000, about $725,000 in the improvement fund balance and other funding, the school system will have enough money in 2020-21 for the artificial turf, the sixth science wing payment ($288,904), pool repairs and roofing.

Velie outlined the plans after proposing to the board that about $591,000 in leftover funds from the last bond project be spent on a new roof at Steeby Elementary, high school media center roof repairs, high school fitness center restroom renovations, furniture for the high school media center, furniture for technology and furniture for Pine Street Elementary.

Velie told the board, “One project this does not address is the storage for the tennis courts. An idea is to purchase the kit from Menard’s and ask our woodshop classes to construct it as a project. The savings would be considerable to the district and provide a hands-on learning project.”

In other business Monday evening, the board:

• Heard two presentations by potential consultants for the upcoming superintendent search in the wake of Supt. Norm Taylor’s retirement July 1.

The presenters were Dave Killips from the Michigan Leadership Institute and Bob Howe from the Michigan Association of School Boards, both former superintendents themselves.

The board will decide at its Dec. 9 regular meeting.

• Heard a presentation by Velie about emergency operations procedures, which included implementation of an incident commander and a crisis communications flow chart.
• Voted to expel a juvenile female high school student for 180 school days because she used social media to promote an on-line threat to the school earlier this month.