Oil City School Board members heard an update Monday about the bonds that will be issued to pay for several renovation projects at various schools in the district.
Jim Webster, an attorney with the Clark Hill law firm, said the district’s resolution for up to about $13 million in bonds for the work at the schools has been made and the bonds are now on the market.
Webster said the resolution allows for an interest rate of up to six percent, but the actual rate will be lower.
The bids for the renovations at the high school were a little higher than was anticipated, Fisher said.
Superintendent Lynda Weller said the work at the high school athletic complex will include changing the color scheme when the track is replaced and the tennis courts are resurfaced.
The track was red but the new track will be black with blue lines. The tennis courts, which were green, will be blue, Weller said.
“We are excited about the ways we are changing the look of the athletic complex a little bit,” said Weller.
In other business Monday, middle school co-principal Joy Zuck told the school board the district has received a $35,000 No Kid Hungry grant to fund food pantries at the middle school and high school.
The grant will also help fund the backpack program for elementary school students that provides food for the students on weekends.
The district needed to raise $15,000 this year to keep the programs functioning – $5,000 for each food pantry and $5,000 for the backpack program, Zuck said.
The programs had been funded in past years by donations from multiple community organizations, businesses and churches. But Zuck said she was reluctant to ask for funding from those sources again this year because of economic hardships brought on by COVID, so she applied for the grant.
“This past year the middle school food pantry has been providing food to 200 families a month,” Zuck said.
Zuck said $30,000 of the $35,000 grant will go toward buying food due to the greater need for meals, more people being fed and rising prices.
In addition, two stand-up freezers have been purchased for $1,500 that will allow frozen meat and vegetables to be provided to students. And the remaining $3,500 is going toward cupboards at each elementary school to provide a place to put meals for an entire family.
Guidance counselors will work with families to ensure they have what they need.
And Weller said, “I appreciate the work you did finding the grant.”
In other matters, several announcements were made regarding student accomplishments.
Board member Stephen Kelley commended the high school choir and band for its performance at the April 11 Oil City 150 celebration in Justus Park.
Jareb McFadden has been selected to attend the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences this summer. The event will be held virtually.
High school seniors Layla Hollis, a soprano 1, and Roman Hulver, a tenor 1, qualified to participate in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association all state choral festival that was held virtually last week. And Victoria Stanish qualified to participate in the PMEA all state band festival.
Micah Burkett came in first place in the Venango Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Contest. He is the first Oil City High School student to finish first in the contest, and he is eligible to enter the DAR Good Citizen Scholarship Contest.
High school students will perform “Mamma Mia!” the evenings of April 29 through May 1 at the high school auditorium, and an afternoon show will be performed Sunday, May 2, if there is a demand. Weller said a decision will be made closer to the time of the shows whether the May 2 show will take place.
