By Jolene FarleyRepresentatives of Hills area softball leagues attended the Hills-Beaver Creek School Board meeting Monday to request the district pay for two loads of agri-lime for the softball field. After some discussion, the board voted to pay for half of two loads. The majority of the $900 to $950 cost for the item is freight out of Mankato, according to the softball league."What’s happening is when it rains you get mud mixed with sand," the players said. Ballgames can be played much sooner after a rain in Beaver Creek than in Hills because the field in Beaver Creek is coated with agri-lime, according to the group. Board member and Beaver Creek city employee Lloyd DeBoer advised that four loads of agri-lime mixed with sand were applied to the field in Beaver Creek. Board member Gary Esselink said he thought the School Board paid for half of the upgrade to the Beaver Creek field and the board should be consistent to avoid appearing to favor one community over the other. "One thing is I think we have a little bit of responsibility because we do use the field," Esselink said.The board asked if the group had approached the Hills City Council to ask for funding. "I think as far as the City Council, they have to realize how much (traffic) your games and the Little League games bring to town," said Board Chairman Alan Harnack.Supt. Dave Deragisch volunteered to call Mayor Jim Jellema to discuss the issue. He also said that Rock County had helped fund some projects in the past but he was uncertain if any money would be available with state funding cuts. "Their budget has been tightened up also," he said. In other board business:oThe Fellowship of Christian Athletes Silent Auction and Comedian raised $5,200 for the group’s mission trip to Guatemala and El Salvador, Central America. oThe board approved hiring Industrial Appraisal Company, based in Pittsburgh, Penn., for $2,465 to inventory and value the school’s assets. The company has a satellite office in the Twin Cities.The Gasby 34 law requires all districts to change their accounting practices and set up a depreciation schedule for all assets. In the past, assets remained on the district’s balance sheet at original value. Some larger schools completed the process last year and many smaller districts are complying this year, according to Deragisch.After the inventory valuation, insurance costs may fall because assets will be listed at their current values, according to Deragisch.
