{"id":94701,"date":"2026-02-24T09:13:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T15:13:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=94701"},"modified":"2026-02-24T09:13:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T15:13:40","slug":"board-of-education-approves-felten-elementary-school-bond-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=94701","title":{"rendered":"Board of Education approves Felten Elementary School bond projects"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By ALICIA FEYERHERM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiger Media Network <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

USD 489 Board of Education approved a Construction Manager’s Guaranteed Maximum Price for the Felten Elementary School project for $5,734,887.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Board member Derek Yarmer said he has requested several times for larger purchases to be brought up at least one meeting prior to approval. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a recurring theme of \u2018we have to do this now, \u2019\u201d Yarmer said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Superintendent Ron Wilson said Nabholz attended the January 19 board meeting and discussed these projects, citing a Hays Post article<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Chris Hipp further clarified that the exact Guaranteed Maximum Price was not set until last week, but the proposal comes in lower than what was presented to the board in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, you didn\u2019t have the GMP because they were still working on that, but as far as the budget piece, their GMP is coming in under what was held,\u201d Hipp said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wilson emphasized the importance of moving forward with these projects to ensure a smooth transition at the start of the school year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou are putting these teachers in a bind,\u201d Wilson said.

\u201cWe\u2019re not saying we\u2019re not going to approve it, we\u2019re saying we\u2019re just trying to make sure that we have the right information,\u201d Board Member Jayme Goetz said. \u201cI don\u2019t know why you\u2019re getting so upset about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building and Grounds Director Rusty Lindsay came forward and urged the board to approve the Guaranteed Maximum Price, as delays cause further issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt just creates utter chaos and creates a bad work environment for everybody involved because everybody is pushed up against it and they\u2019re mad at everybody,\u201d Lindsay said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said he understands wanting these decisions to come before the board sooner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI get the procedural piece of it, but also keep in mind what you\u2019re doing to your own staff by having this argument at this point,\u201d Lindsay said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Board Vice President Ruth Ruder said she was confused about the delay, since this was part of the bond and had been brought up at a previous meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yarmer reinforced that large expenditures should be brought before the board in advance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the future, going forward, say expenditures more than $100,000 that we talk about at the board meeting before it\u2019s actually brought before us for a vote,\u201d Yarmer said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He understood the concerns about delaying approval, but further stated that large purchases should be brought forward sooner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy answer to the problem would be vote \u2018yes\u2019 on this, but the admin have [that agreement going forward],\u201d Yarmer said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wilson said it had been brought up before, but Yarmer requested that the final proposal or numbers be brought to the meeting beforehand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was an estimate, not a proposal,\u201d Yarmer said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Board Member Ken Brooks called for the vote. The motion passed 4-2 with Yarmer and Park voting against. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other items from the meeting included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n