Clean carpets and humid days this past August have Southern Wells searching for

[Guest guest]

October 18, 2006

Clean carpets and humid days this past August have Southern Wells

searching for a steam cleaner

By Glen Werling

http://www.news-banner.com/index/news-app/story.5224/menu./sec./home.

Clean carpets and humid August days have Southern Wells looking for

a steam carpet cleaner.

That may sound like an odd combination, but Southern Wells Supt.

Neil Potter reported to the school board during a regular meeting

Tuesday evening that when the school corporation had the carpeting

in the elementary school undergo its annual cleaning this past

August, the carpets apparently did not dry properly, likely because

of the humidity.

That problem was discovered when school cleaning personnel noticed

fungus growing on some of the ceiling tiles, especially close to

windows in the school. The tiles were replaced and other indications

of fungus were scrubbed thoroughly with an anti-fungal agent.

Then, as a precaution, the school corporation hired Alliance

Environmental Group Inc. of Indianapolis to perform an air check of

the both the elementary and the high school.

The results were mixed, but not what was hoped. While the levels of

bacteria were well within the levels recommended by Alliance, the

levels of fungi were slightly above.

Alliance reported that the acceptable levels for both are less than

1,000 colony forming units or CFUs. The bacteria tested 56. The

fungi tested 1,056.

Potter hastened to point out that on the same day the indoor test

was taken by Alliance, an outdoor test showed a CFU sample of 167

for bacteria and 5,001 for fungi.

Alliance also took samples from specific target areas and found

levels averaging 288,000 CFUs for fungi and 324,666 CFUs for

bacteria. The acceptable CFU level for carpets, according to

Alliance, is 1,000 for fungi and 10,000 for bacteria.

Potter again hastened to point out that Alliance has stated that the

levels might cause problems only for those people already suffering

from breathing problems.

Alliance recommended accelerating the cleaning of the carpets to

twice a year employing a high temperature process coupled with a

broad spectrum anti-microbial agent added to the water. The company

also recommended drying the carpet to less than five percent

moisture.

Potter said that Alliance has stated that the school corporation can

wait until winter recess to perform the cleaning.

Also recommended for cleaning were the cooling coils on the air

handling system. The ducts in the school were within acceptable

levels.

Potter advised board members Joe Hartley, Lynn Fiechter, Chris

and Rick Mounsey that he will be shopping around for a good

steam cleaner.

" It is incumbent upon us to keep the air quality as good as

possible, " said Potter.

He also provided the board members with the policy regarding the

school corporations " Relations with Families & Churches " for review

to see if they wanted to update it.

He has been systematically going through the policies updating and

changing them when necessary to reflect decisions made by the school

board and state and federal mandates. However, the policy regarding

relations with families and churches is purely at the board's

discretion.

" The board can obviously change this policy at any time, " he added.

After review, the board agreed by consensus that the policy was good

as it stands and recommended no changes.

Potter then presented the board with a request by the high school

and middle school band director Mike Haigh for the band to attend a

Saturday-Sunday event at Winchester. The band would not stay

overnight but would return Saturday night and leave again Sunday

morning at 7 a.m., returning Sunday night.

The board by consensus rejected the request, noting it violated the

Sunday activity section within the just reviewed policy.

The board also held a hearing on and then approved of an additional

appropriation in the Capital Projects Fund (CPF) for $95,000 to help

pay for the elementary school roof replacement project.

No one from the public objected to the appropriation during the

public hearing—no one from the public was present.

The additional appropriation has no impact on the tax rate since

funds appropriated were already on hand, but in a different fund.

In order to move the funds and to move the roof project from its

original scheduled date of summer 2008 ahead to the summer of 2006,

the board also approved of an amendment to the 2006 CPF plan.

The roof project was moved to this year because the roof failed

faster than anticipated.

In other business, the board members:

—Agreed to pay technology coordinator Hartman $25 an hour for

275 hours of summer work.

—Hired Nikki Pease as the varsity cheerleading coach, Allred

as the junior varsity coach and Turnbull as the junior high

coach.

—Approved of a field trip request by the high school choir Jan. 19-

20 to the Indiana Music Education Association convention.

—Approved of various fund reports. Potter noted that the general

fund finished September $140,900.16 in the red. The reason for the

negative balance is the September fund reflects no fall tax draw.

One has been received since the September report was filed and cash

wise, the corporation is running about where projected, he said.

—Learned from Potter that the school breakfast program is averaging

25 student diners a day for the elementary school and six a day in

the high school. Three out of four of the students participating are

on the free and reduced lunch program.

—Granted various requests from personnel to attend workshops and

conferences.

The next regular meeting of the board is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov.

21, at 4 p.m.

glenw@...

Email Glen Werling