Stadium issue set for further review

ST. MARYS - A heated discussion among school board members on Wednesday yielded no consensus over the football stadium's future.

Officials will set up another meeting date and location to continue their discussion over choosing to keep a stadium at the current location on West South Street or build one east of Memorial High School on Shipman Road.

The group discussed at length the recent feasibility study conducted by Clover Apelian of Clover Development Strategies. Board members Bob Valentine and Travis Kuenning said they thought the study was not comprehensive while board members Ronda Shelby and Brian Little disagreed.

Shelby said she thought the questions were in-depth and Apelian was a good communicator. Kuenning noted only 48 people had been asked 20 questions during the study.

"This particular report, which is 15 pages long, at $1,000 per page, is anything but a feasibility study," Valentine said. "I've checked that out with people who had made feasibility studies or read them before. Nobody seems to think that it even comes close to being a feasibility study."

Valentine felt the work was not worth the $15,000 price tag and said board members should consider seeking a refund. He also said school officials had paid more than $6,000 in travel and lodging expenses for Apelian to come to St. Marys for the study.

Little said no spending limits on travel and lodging were discussed and receipts showed the costs were real. A site must be chosen before board members move on to determining costs and raising funds, he added.

"The goal here is to raise the funds through the public sector. That was the original intent of the feasibility study, to see if the money was there. We do not want to have to put this on a millage type," school board president Karl Dammeyer said.

Superintendent Shawn Brown said he would email board members possible dates to continue their discussion.

In other action, board members voted 4-1 to continue membership with the Ohio High School Athletic Association after a conversation about a pre-physical questionnaire provided by Privit, a web program used by OHSAA.

Valentine voted against membership, citing concerns about the program's questions, privacy issues and the relative ease in hacking online information. He said he was concerned the questionnaire dealt with sexually transmitted diseases, feeling comfortable with body image and eating habits.

"None of these questions should be asked or answered by anyone. I find this absolutely ridiculous that we do this," he said. "Not only is it wrong, it puts this school as well as the OHSAA and possibly Privit at lawsuit."

Brown said students can complete a hard copy of the questionnaire if they are concerned about online privacy.

"A solution is we don't offer free physicals," Brown added. "There are other school districts who have went away from providing free physicals for the community, which is a service that our doctors in the area provide to us for nothing after working, seven, eight, nine, 10 hours a day."

The doctor conducting the free physicals may not be the student's family doctor and will need to know as much background information as possible, Little added.

School board members also approved keeping the 2016-2017 school lunch prices the same as this year's. The cost is $2.35 for students in grades K-5, $2.80 for grades 6-12 and $3.25 for adults. Milk costs 50 cents.

Also on Wednesday, board members,

• approved the 2016-2017 high school handbook.

• approved the 2016 graduation list.

• heard Brown thank the district's teachers for their work in recognition of teacher appreciation week.

• heard from transportation supervisor Dan Grot-hause about four bus drivers who recently competed in the regional Bus Safety Road-E-O competition. The event tests the driver's ability to drive a school bus through a number of courses and take a written test as well, he said.

• tabled approving the 2016-2017 middle school student handbook. Valentine and Shelby said board members need more time to look at the handbook they had received just a few days ago.