The Ottumwa Board of Education met on Monday, May 9 with a light agenda. After approving the accounts payable, personnel report, insurance rates for 2016-17, they approved the purchase of land for $10,000. According to district CFO Alex Barr, when land was purchased for the construction of Liberty Elementary, a small section was not platted. The district's lawyer recommended that the district purchase the 1.6 acres, located to the north of Liberty, to tie up loose ends. The board approved this purchase recommendation.
In other action, the board also approved a change order for D.W. Zinser Company for $55,785. In order to preserve the neighborhood streets in the area of the Walsh School demolition, the contractor will crush concrete on site. This change will reduce the number of loads hauled from 800 to less than 100 loads. Even with the change order, the total amount for demolition will still fall below the bid budget, according to Barr. Demolition is expected to be in mid-June.
