School board moves ahead on fuel line repairs

By Per Peterson

The District No. 2904 School Board on Monday voted to move ahead with a project to repair a cracked fuel line at the high school at the cost of $31,590.

The plan is for the contractor, ZAHL Equipment Services out of Mankato, to install a 3/4” pipe inside the existing 1-1/2” pipe.

“That way, they won’t have to rip up the sidewalk,” Supt. Chad Anderson said of the decision to install a pipe within a pipe, as opposed to tearing out the old infrastructure.

The project will include installation of a $6,515 tank monitor at a total cost of $11,700. The existing fuel tank will not be replaced, as the school has been told it’s in good shape.

“I can’t guarantee that everything will go smooth, there might be something wrong with the tank … who knows,” Anderson said.

• Anderson also notified the board that work on the triple-stall storage garage that will be located on the east side of campus (right outside the welding room) will begin later this month. He felt the best-case scenario would be for the dirt and cement work to be done before school starts so students in Karl Campbell’s ag construction class don’t have to wait to start construction in the fall.

have to wait to start construction in the fall.

“It would be nice for the kids to come in and be able to start right away,” Anderson said. “Hopefully that part will get done prior to school starting.

• The next round of negotiations with the TEA will be at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31, at the high school.

In other business, the board

• Approved the TAES and TAHS student handbook and changes, as presented during the June 24 board meeting.

• Approved the designation of (2019-20) official newspapers of District No. 2904 as the Tracy Area Headlight Herald and Balaton Press Tribune, as well as the designation of the official banks as Tracy Minnwest Bank and Currie State Bank.

• Approved the designation of the (2019-2020) legal counsel as Joseph Langel with Ratwik, Roszak, and Maloney.

• Approved the charges and rates for the 2019-2020 school year. Elementary, high school, and adult lunches will all remain the same as charged during the 18-19 school year.

• Approved FY 2020 Truth-in-Taxation Hearing for Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, at 6:05 p.m. in the TAHS Media Center and the Truth-in-Taxation Continuation Hearing (if needed) on Monday, Dec. 16, 2019, at 6:05 p.m. in the TAHS Media Center.

• Approved the resignation from Gloria Bauman in the Food Service Department with many thanks for her service to TAPS.

• Approved the hiring of David Rialson as the junior high football coach for the 2019 season.