MEEKER I Approving a contract with new superintendent of schools, Chris Selle was the big ticket item at the April 7 Meeker Board of Education (BOE) meeting.
Although Selle is not slated to take the district’s reins until July 1, the board agreed that he will be involved in selecting individuals to fill outstanding district job openings.
The board also heard from Teresa Schott, executive director of the Rio Blanco Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) in Rangely. Schott reported that she was focused on “getting the health offices of [the Rangely and Meeker] districts back into shape.” This will largely be accomplished by having a psychologist and a nurse available in each of the districts all of the time. Applications for those positions are currently being taken.
The board acknowledged that the sale of part of the old town swimming pool property immediately south of (below) the high school is now open to sealed bids, which are due to the district before 4 p.m. on May 7. This approximately one acre parcel is part of the Gentry Estates Subdivision. The bids will be opened following May 7, but will not be revealed until presented to the board on May 19. The board is committed to earmarking 20 to 25 percent of the proceeds from this and all other property sales for the future resurfacing of the Starbuck Stadium track 10 to 12 years after it’s rebuilt.
In other property action, the board approved a resolution authorizing board President Bill deVergie to sign off on the sale of the district’s old kindergarten building to the New Eden Pregnancy Center.
Trina Kennedy Smith, the high school Future Farmers of America (FFA) sponsor, led a presentation to the board by her FFA Agricultural Issues Team on the subject of the West Douglas Wild Horse Herd.
The question to the team was should the herd be removed, thinned or managed on the range? Each team member is responsible for representing the point of view of their character. No conclusions are to be reached by the team, which is practicing the presentation for statewide competition in May.
Sam Baylie played the “talking head” news broadcaster and moderator. The other participants and their parts were: Clay Anderson as a BLM range conservationist, Peyton Burke as an area rancher, Lori Ann Klinglesmith as Callie Hendrickson, executive director of the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts and member of the National Horse and Burro Rangeland Management Coalition, Jamie Moyer for Friends of the Mustang, Jake Smith for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Anna Walsh for the Cloud Foundation, a Colorado-based wild horse advocate organization. Walsh was substituting for Meghan Smith, who was unavailable for the meeting. Smith reported that all the students have been in contact with people from the organizations they represent.
Ben Quinn, the MHS art teacher, also gave a presentation with his star art students about their work and success. This was all covered in an article by Bob Amick in the April 2 edition of the Herald Times.
The next meeting of the board will be Tuesday. The board set a special meeting to begin at 5:30 p.m. to tour the new, nearly complete Pioneers Medical Center. By law, this is an open meeting of the board so anyone wishing to tour the new hospital complex with the board would be welcome. The board’s regular meeting will follow the tour, at approximately 7 p.m., at the school administration building.
