Great Bend USD 428 is taking sealed bids on two buildings that were vacated after moving into other facilities, Superintendent Khris Thexton said.
At Monday’s Board of Education meeting, the board approved taking sealed bids on the property at 201 South Patton Road, which formerly housed the District Education Center, and 2201 Broadway Ave., the former Food Services headquarters.
Thexton said the properties were appraised by Kevin Sundahl, along with the former maintenance building at 2019 12th St. It will most likely be sold in the fall but is being used for storage at present.
The district has set the appraised value as the reserve price for each property.
• 201 S. Patton Road sits on 7.8 acres and has a new roof. The appraisal/reserve price is $535,000.
• 2201 Broadway Ave.’s appraisal/reserve price is $275,000.
• 2019 12th St.’s appraisal is $130,000.
Anyone interested in looking at the properties or placing a sealed bid may contact Assistant Superintendent John Popp at the District Education Center, 1809 24th St., 620-793-1500 or john.popp@usd428.net. Bids will be taken until 1 p.m. on Sept. 4 and the district reserves the right to refuse all bids that do not meet the appraised value of the building(s).
Robotic painter will save time, money
Transportation and Grounds Director Cody Schmidt showed the board images of a digital robotic painter that can stripe athletic turf and grass fields. The board approved his recommendation for a $62,589 model from Tiny Mobile Robots with programming and paint for five years, with the stipulation that the approval is pending action by the Great Bend Recreation Commission, which will meet on Tuesday, Aug. 20. The plan is for the Rec to reimburse USD 428 for half of the cost and the two entities will share the equipment.
This is a good deal for the school district, Schmidt said, as it will use the equipment about 70% of the time and GBRC about 30%.
It can paint a soccer field in 27 minutes, and the work could be done while someone was mowing, he said. “It takes my staff two days.” After setting the lines, the field can be repainted in one day, and this is done weekly, he said. It costs the district $13,000 a year. Another robotic option was a Turf Tank brand that would cost $17,000 over five years.
Schmidt also presented information on aging support service vehicles and said he will present a proposal for 12 replacement vehicles by the first of the new year.
Other purchases
In other business Monday, the board approved the purchase of four automated external defibrillator (AED) units with cabinets and signage for the quoted price of $10,535.
Assistant Superintendent Popp said he plans to ask the board to approve the purchase of new K-6 lunch tables, replacing 60 old tables. “We’re not quite ready to bring that proposal to you,” he said. He is getting more information but said he expects the cost will be in the range of $100,000 to $120,000.
Personnel
The board approved a late resignation from Lauren Mathews, third-grade teacher at Eisenhower Elementary School. Popp said there is another teacher who has offered to take the classroom for a semester and that individual will be named at the next board meeting.
The board approved two appointments: Richard Koshgarian will teach sixth grade at Riley Elementary School and Carla Markovich will teach vocal music at Lincoln Elementary School.
This story was updated on Aug. 17, 2024, to reflect a date change for the Great Bend Recreation Commission meeting.
