Board sees preliminary school plans, approves playground equipment purchase

GENTRY -- Board members were provided with a preliminary two-story floor plan for the proposed new Gentry Intermediate School at their Feb. 15 regular meeting, but chances are good the final plans will look much different.

Randy Barrett, Gentry School District superintendent, said the plans were preliminary and were needed to meet state deadlines for application to the Arkansas Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation for partnership funding for the building project. He said the plans focused on the classroom space portion of the plans -- the part the state considers in its funding request -- and that other details will be added later in plans and drawings.

To qualify for partnership funding, the preliminary plans needed to be submitted to the state by March 1, Barrett said.

Barrett said future drawings would likely include an assembly area. Other changes were also suggested for improved security at the building.

The board approved spending $22,000 from the school district's building fund to partner with the Gentry Parent-Teacher Organization and provide new and expanded playground equipment at the primary school campus.

According to Barrett, the PTO raised $20,000 for the purchase of the new playground equipment, and he recommended that the school board add $22,000 so that the new equipment can be purchased and installed. The playground improvement includes purchase of GameTime playground equipment available to the school at state-bid prices.

The board also acknowledged and thanked the PTO for its contribution toward the new equipment for the school.

Barrett reported that the district is working together with other neighboring districts -- Gravette, Decatur, Siloam Springs and Bentonville -- toward one day building a Western Benton County Career Center at a central location to serve area students from the participating school districts. He said the project continues to move forward and all agree that such a new facility would enable the cooperating districts to do what no single district could do on its own. It was estimated that six to eight meetings have already been held with neighboring districts on the project.

Barrett estimated that a future site would have to be about 40 acres in size and be centrally located, but no specific sites are currently under consideration.

Judy Winslett, assistant superintendent for the district, told the board of plans for a career day at the high school on March 10, with speakers in almost every room of the high school. The event was scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., the start of the school day. She said a parent night was planned for that evening, at 6 p.m., as well.

General News on 02/24/2016