By Jolene FarleyThe Hills-Beaver Creek School Board narrowed down the color selection for the locker room project’s pre-cast concrete walls at a Monday meeting. The manufacturers of the product will provide three larger slabs with different color variations. Superintendent Dave Deragisch told the board the necessary trees are removed and contractors are breaking up the cement from the tennis court. Sunkota, Sioux Falls, general contractors for the project,plans to start digging footings this week.Deragisch said Sunkota officials suggested holding community walk through nights to prevent the curious from looking at the sight when no one was around."Just for safety purposes we could schedule maybe one a month or two a month," he said. Hills resident Wendell Bengtson questioned board members about their decision not to build the fitness center. "Older folks supported the project because they thought there would be something for them in the fitness center," Bengtson said. Deragisch explained that the project couldn’t cost more than $500,000 without requiring a Review and Comment from the Department of Children, Families and Learning. The fitness center would have raised the project costs over the $500,000 threshold. "Did we want to get it built the way we wanted? Yes. Could we get it built? No," he said. He added that if a fitness center was added in the future it could easily be connected to the locker room addition. Since bond and private money cannot be mixed, if a donation was made to the school no project could proceed until the district received permission from the State of Minnesota to occupy the current addition, according to Deragisch.Activities feesDeragisch showed the board a list of various fees the district charges students.The hot lunch program fees, at $1.45 for elementary students and $1.60 for high school students, are in the high average for area schools, according to Deragisch. The activity fee of $20 per sport with a $60 maximum is in the low average. Some schools are charging $300 for football or hockey. "Do you want haves and have nots, that fine line where they can play if they have the money," Deragisch said after discussion on raising the fee.The driver’s education program with a fee of $150 breaks even with 20 students enrolled. Numbers vary from year to year, according to Deragisch.The board discussed admission and athletic pass prices. Admission for home athletic events is $5 with a 10-punch pass available for $30. Student admission is $2 with a $15 pass. Senior citizens are free.Board member Ann Boeve suggested charging a small admission fee for music events with proceeds used for the music program. Board chair ___???___ asked Deragisch to survey other schools in the conference to see what they charge for admission. InsuranceDeragisch informed the board that the current dental insurance provider offered eye insurance free of charge for two years as an added perk but on July 1 will begin charging for the coverage.The cost of eye coverage would be almost the same as the cost of dental coverage. Deragisch suggested the district not pay for the eye coverage but allow employees to pay for the insurance themselves if they want it. Eye insurance is not guaranteed in the district’s employment contracts."If we were to double our costs for this type of coverage," Deragisch said. "That’s a lot of money."
