A clogged backflow preventer caused a portion of the East Franklin Elementary gym floor to bubble up. Repairs are expected to be made in January.
According to Macon County Schools Auxiliary Services Director Todd Gibbs, around 10% of the court’s floorboards are deformed due to the moisture content of the plywood underneath. This happened due to a backflow preventer in the mechanical room next door backing up in September or October. Gibbs said the mitigation efforts will ensure an overflow doesn’t happen again.
Gibbs said contractor Keith Presley submitted an estimate of $22,500 - including sanding down the entire court to match the new boards. The work can’t begin until January due to East Franklin’s holiday events and having to work on weekends. Gibbs said it would take two weeks to repair once started.
At the Nov. 27 Board of Education meeting, Gibbs said he would meet with county commissioners and others later in the week regarding the Nantahala wastewater project. This follows the commissioners’ desire to get the project moving after several setbacks.
Board Chair Jim Breedlove asked Gibbs to stress the importance of the project. Board member Melissa Evans said this project has been on the capital outlay list for the 11 years she’s been on the board.
Following up on Dec. 4, Gibbs said soil engineers will look at an adjacent piece of property to see if it’s appropriate for a subterranean wastewater treatment system.
MMS projects
The Macon Middle School track requests for qualifications were opened at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1. This past summer, bids came back between $500,000 and $750,000 and the board rejected them. On Dec. 4, Gibbs said there were three submissions from three designers. Gibbs said a committee will determine the most qualified firm and make a recommendation. After that, the school board or commissioners can negotiate a contract with that recommended firm. Gibbs stressed this was just a request for qualifications and did not involve any cost estimates.
Gibbs said installing an exhaust fan in the Macon Middle School gym had eliminated almost all the remaining sewer smell that had lingered after installing backflow preventers months ago. Improperly installed pipes in the walls caused the smell, which Breedlove and board member Stephanie Laseter said will eventually need to be fixed.
Boys volleyball could soon be coming to high schools as the board approved applying for a grant to start a club team. Franklin High School Girls Volleyball Coach Bekah Brooks said in an email given to the board that she believes boys volleyball would be “booming” in Macon County. Any of the three county high schools could have a boys’ volleyball team, which would be a spring sport and thus have few gym conflicts.
There were no public comments at the Nov. 27 meeting. The board went into closed session at 8:35 p.m. and came out of session at 9:51 p.m., approved the personnel report and adjourned.
The board unanimously approved the following action items:
• The personnel report, which includes a new six-month contract for Robert Holland to continue as MCS Safety and Security Coordinator. MCS hired Holland in December 2022 after he retired as Macon County sheriff. The new contract keeps the same pay rate of $4,166.67 per month, for $25,000 total through June 28, 2024. When asked why they decided on a six-month contract, MCS said it was so Holland could serve the district through the 2023-24 school year.
“Mr. Holland has been serving our district well,” said Superintendent Josh Lynch. “He has conducted formal monthly safety inspections within all our schools. All schools have been making significant progress in addressing any and all school safety concerns.”
• The second reading of the “Parents’ Bill of Rights.” The policy is mandated to go into effect in December. Last month, the board approved setting up a feedback form on its website, which yielded no responses. Henning said there’s a lot open to interpretation in the new law.
• The second reading of minor Title IX policy corrections and the first reading of school board member policies. The board continued working on a policy dealing with fundraising by outside organizations and students, and staff will bring back a revised version in December. This has been a point of discussion for several meetings due to board concerns that students are doing too much fundraising for too little return.
• All overnight/out-of-district trips. Wilkes asked if the seven missed school days planned for the cheerleaders for the state competition in January and the national competition in February would be too many. The answer received is that it wouldn’t be. The board unanimously approved all six fundraising requests without comment.
• A memorandum of understanding with The Long Center to see all their students on-site as needed. Macon County Schools’ Exceptional Children Director Brooke Keener said they found a need for a contract for elementary school students. The Long Center would come to a school upon request and administer a threat assessment. MCS contracts with HIGHTS middle and high school students. Breedlove said it’s “distressing” that they have to do this.
• The Diligent Community Package for $16,850 annually. Diligent Community is software that will improve board meeting documentation, minutes, agenda and video streaming. Tim Burrell said many school systems are already using the software.
The next Board of Education meeting will be at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 11 at Franklin High School.