Indian Valley residents discuss Measure B options
Let the planning begin! On Tuesday, Dec. 13, a small group of Indian Valley residents and Plumas Unified School District employees met in the library at Greenville High School to discuss what the windfall of Measure B funds would look like for Indian Valley school sites.
Out of the 22 people in attendance, 17 were either current or former employees of the district.
As the evening began, one of the attendees not affiliated with the school district, voiced his misgivings, “I’m very concerned about how money is spent. If I’m paying $300 more out of pocket per year, I want to know how it’s being spent. If you’re going to repair, repair—but don’t spend on anything else.”
Superintendent Terry Oestreich divided the attendees into three groups of six or seven to discuss three major aspects of school infrastructure improvements: school sites (interior and exterior of school buildings), “Twenty-first Century Learning,” and safety and security.
“This is just a first go-around to get ideas,” said the Oestreich.
Site improvements
Some ideas for the improvements of the interior and exterior of both Greenville High School and Indian Valley Elementary School were to rip up the dilapidated tennis court at the high school (which Measure A spent over $78,000 installing and improving), and putting in a swimming pool in its place with a removable roof.
Less dramatic ideas for improvements prioritized repairing and resealing everything from gutters to asphalt, stuccoing the elementary school, and painting both schools’ exteriors. In the spring and summer months, wasps have built nests inside crevices beneath the roof of the elementary cafeteria.
The antiquated restroom facilities were also addressed and discussed as a major priority at both schools; bringing restrooms up to code and bringing stairs and ramps into ADA compliance are also on the table.
Technology
The “Twenty-first Century Learning” section of information came down to upgrades in outlets for technology to be better implemented and saving the portable unit at Indian Valley Elementary (which has been used as both storage and a reading room) as storage, with perhaps a new roof.
Safety and security
The safety and security discussion centered on a new floor in the gym and new cameras installed for better monitoring of questionable behavior. There was also discussion of a new public address system and tinted windows as a part of an intruder alert system. New signage was also discussed.
Other ideas
When all groups met back together a suggestion was made to see if the schools could find matching grants for clean energy upgrades.
Instructor Judy Dolphin suggested a need for concentration on CTE/Vocational classes, such as culinary arts with upgrades to the kitchen classroom that would better match what a student would be facing in a real kitchen upon graduation.
“You all are more opinionated than the other groups,” Oestreich commented when asked how other communities were working through the Measure B list of infrastructure items.
The next Measure B meeting is slated for Wednesday, Jan. 4, at 5:30 p.m., in the library at the high school.
