Board Rejects Bids For Teachers Parking Lot

Bourbon school board members voted July 20 to reject bids for chip seal work on the teachers parking lot at the elementary school after deciding more extensive work was needed.

None of the board members present thought it was a viable option and it would have to be fixed again a few years down the road.

Members want to have a project that will keep the lot viable much longer than chip seal would provide.

“We need to do it right or we’ll be doing it again in two years,” said John Craig.

Board president Scott Blue said the dumpster being present on the lot is a problem. Discussion followed about finding a workaround with Swinger Sanitation.

Superintendent Patricia Thompson said she couldn’t remember anything being done to the lot, which currently has large potholes, in the past 22 years. Thompson said the board would have to redo the bid if it wanted asphalt and a repaving.

“You can,” she said when asked if it was financially possible. “But if you do one thing, you can’t do something else.” Thompson said there is $361,000 budgeted in one of the funds in case the board decides to go forward on redoing the track. Using an estimate from last year, Thompson said it would be $350,000. The ag construction class is doing a project this year to work on the scoreboards at the baseball and softball fields, which has been budgeted $6,500.