Having a strategy — a game plan, if you will — is important not only in athletics but also for tackling projects. Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. has a big task that requires a solid plan of action: maintenance of its facilities.
It’s encouraging, then, to see that the school district has a game plan after making the smart decision to conduct a facilities survey last year to identify needs, which, in turn, helped shape priorities. Such a plan is helpful considering that the majority of the school district’s facilities are at least 40 years old and require regular upkeep to extend their usefulness and lives.
The first fruits of the district’s plan are $6.7 million in upgrades to four elementary school buildings — Clifty Creek, Taylorsville, Smith and Parkside — plus school playgrounds. The latter work will come after an evaluation of all school playgrounds is conducted to assess conditions, safety and code compliance and create a master improvement plan.
Performing upgrades in a strategic manner within budget parameters provides a helpful roadmap that should benefit the school district for years to come.
Also encouraging is that the district is wisely using interest money refunded through Build America bonds to make more improvements to Columbus East and Columbus North high schools. The bonds were made available after the recession and allowed the district to reinvest in the high schools. Plans call for $1.5 million in upgrades to each school.
Much work remains that necessitates the district keep forging ahead. With the game plan in place, though, Bartholomew Consolidated is in good shape to perform needed maintenance to its buildings in an orderly manner.
Send comments to [email protected].
