March 26. 2001
Bettsville breaks ground
By Cathy Willoughby
Staff Writer
BETTSVILLE - The weather was chilly, and snow flakes fell on the crowd gathered on the north side of Bettsville School Sunday afternoon.
Yet the atmosphere was jubilant when the first shovel full of dirt was broken out of the ground for the ceremony marking the beginning of the construction on the new 16,884 square feet addition.
The addition will give the school six new classrooms, a high school science lab, a music room and technology lab. The area, which will become the high school wing, is approximately 170 feet long, and 120 feet at it's widest point. The addition and other improvements to the current building, will total $5,271,974.40. The district's voters approved a 3.0 mill bond levy during the Nov. 2, 1999 general election to fund 15 percent of the total project. The remainder of the project's cost, or 85 percent, is being funded through the Ohio School Facilities Commission.
Bettsville junior Evan Baker echoed the hopes of his classmates when he said that the student's were excited about the new addition. "When my generation walks through the halls, we will have many more memories now that you are making,'' he said.
Superintendent Jane Garling said that work is scheduled to begin immediately, weather permitting. She thanked the community for supporting the school and helping to provide a strong learning environment for the future.
"It would have taken 311 mill to do what we are now doing with the state's help,'' Garling said. "This school is rich in community support and support for their children. It shows in everything we do, that they are tops and deserve the best.''
The last addition to the current building was in 1979, at the approximate cost of $1.3 million. It included the media center and elementary classrooms to replace the elementary building that was located across the street, where a parking lot is now. Current enrollment is 384 students in grades kindergarten through 12, and according to Principal Randy Pawlowski, enrollment has been increasing slightly.
"The enrollment was down in the 1980's, but it moved up in the 90's,'' he explained. "We would have classes of 14 graduate in the 80's. We have 25, 26 or 30 now in some of the graduating classes.''
Garling said the current addition will serve to separate the high school from the elementary students. "We are going to use that as the high school wing,'' Garling said. "It enables us to separate the high school from the rest. The cafeteria and the gym will be used by both, and the elementary will go into the high school area for music.''
The process to acquire the funds from the OSFC began in 1998, when Garling approached them for funds for the much needed renovations and addition. "I begged for more space,'' she recalled. "They didn't have anything in their manual that we would go by; being a K through 12, it's so different from a school which they normally grant.''
They are expecting the wing to be completed by November, yet they may not be ready to move in at that time. "We will be doing a lot of moving around as we renovate different areas,'' Garling said.
Renovations to the building include electrical wiring, air conditioning and heating improvements, plumbing, finishing of floors, including the gymnasium, new seating in the gym and painting. "There will be new carpet in the media center,'' Garling added. "And the windows will be replaced with translucent ones, so that they won't glare on the computers. And they will be more heat efficient; we will be doing a lot of energy efficiency projects and a lot of asbestos abatement.''
The new addition will feature increased instrument storage and practice room space in the music room, and additional restroom and office space. "There will also be a horseshoe drive for the handicapped bus so that they can transport students to the door,'' Pawlowski added. "What is used for the high school now will be the middle school, and we will be renovating the science lab there.''
Garling is hopeful that the increased classroom space will give the school the room it needs for future enrollment increases. "Right now, we have to turn away open enrollment students,'' Garling said. "And I look for Bettsville to grow more after the sewer system is put in.''