Many many thanks to the many dedicated OJR Pool Advocates and OJR Pool Committee for all their efforts to get OJR to go from good to GREAT! Unfortunately, it seems the obstacles that the OJR SB and Administration threw at the Pool Committee proved to be too much. Hopefully all of OJR can come together in a Positive Proactive way, and work towards making sure
1) The Pool Opens in September of 2009
2) An Aquatics Director is hired by January 2010
3) Fundraising is allowed to begin for a Deep Well, so that the existing pool can be used even more, for the benefit of the entire community
Let's all work together to take OJR from good to GREAT!
For more information on what happened to the OJR Pool click here.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
The OJR Temporary Pool is officially Dead in the Water
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Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Posted on Tue, Mar 25, 2008
Inflatable pool proposal dead
By Laura Catalano, Special to The Mercury
SOUTH COVENTRY — A committee of pool parents has decided to abandon the concept of installing a temporary pool on Owen J. Roberts High School grounds next year.
The decision puts an end to a lengthy debate that began in January, when parents of swim team children started pushing heavily for a covered, heated pool that could be set up in the high school parking lot. They had argued that the pool was the best solution for maintaining the school district swim programs while the middle school pool is closed for renovations.
They had vowed to undertake an aggressive fundraising campaign to pay for the estimated $250,000 in costs associated with the temporary pool.
But the pool committee — composed of swim team parents, coaches and district administrators — met on Friday and agreed the pool was no longer a feasible alternative. That decision came only several days after the school board approved a proposal that would have allowed the pool committee to pursue plans for the pool.
“We knew it couldn’t be done the way the board approved it,” explained committee member Chris DeVol.
At a board meeting last week, the board had voted to provide the committee with $2,500 to hire an engineer to work with South Coventry. Board solicitor Frank Bartle had stated that an engineer was needed to determine all planning requirements for erecting a temporary pool.
According to DeVol, the committee realized $2,500 would be inadequate to pay for a civil engineer. Committee members had hoped to work with the township themselves.
“The school district knew it would cost at least $7,500 to do it the way they do business,” DeVol said.
District Business Manager Jaclin Krumrine had said at an earlier meeting that it would cost $8,000 to $10,000 for an engineer to devise complete land development plans. The $2,500 was for a less comprehensive, initial plan.
“The board and administration didn’t want this to happen,” insisted DeVol. “They didn’t give us a chance to find out if we could do it.”
The minimum $179,000 in costs associated with a temporary pool made several board members wary of the plan, even though the committee had promised to raise funds.
What’s more, some serious questions about the project’s feasibility arose at a March 17 board meeting. The township zoning officer had drafted the board a letter, maintaining that a land development plan and all Americans with Disabilities Act requirements would have to be met, as well as a possible zoning variance.
That process could take from nine months to two years, essentially negating the purpose of the temporary pool, which would be needed from September 2008 through January 2010.
Pool committee member Mark Zeleznick, and a contingent of pool supporters, had argued passionately that the only way South Coventry could determine whether a land development plan was needed was to review an actual plan.
The board then agreed to help foot the bill for an engineer to work with the township. But even at the meeting, Zeleznick had insisted the $2,500 was too low.
DeVol said later that Zeleznick, who works for a municipal planning firm, could have worked with the township at no cost. However, the board had made it clear that an engineer needed to be brought in.
“We decided it would be imprudent to spend taxpayer money on something we couldn’t do,” said DeVol.
It’s unlikely that the school board has seen the last of the pool parents. Following the decision to abandon the temporary pool, committee member Dee Bennett sent an e-mail to the board and administration. Bennett has repeatedly emphasized that the high school team will face serious safety issues next year, when they will practice at the Pottstown YMCA with only three lanes. They currently practice on six lanes.
In the letter, Bennett proposed that the district provide YMCA memberships for the swim team members, enabling them to swim on the Y’s team, as well as the OJR team.
“Our swimmers would have a better practice schedule and be able to still have their coaches,” Bennett wrote.
The pool committee will also continue to push the board to work with builders to have the middle school pool opened by November 2009, so that only a single swim season is affected by the renovations.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Posted on Tue, Mar 25, 2008
Proposal to drop porta-pool was wise
The Owen J. Roberts pool parents have dropped their porta-pool proposal — a positive move that avoids spending tax money exploring a project that was impractical and possibly not even feasible.
The decision puts an end to a lengthy debate that began in January, when parents of swim team children started pushing heavily for a covered, heated pool that could be set up in the high school parking lot.
They had argued that the pool was the best solution for maintaining the school district swim programs while the middle school pool is closed for renovations.
They had vowed to undertake an aggressive fundraising campaign to pay for the estimated $250,000 in costs associated with the temporary pool.
But before any money was raised, the committee had asked for and received a commitment of $2,500 from the school board to hire an engineer. This came after South Coventry officials informed the board that the pool would require zoning approval, a land development plan and would have to meet handicapped-accessible requirements.
The approvals could take up to two years — at which time the temporary pool would no longer be needed.
The pool committee — composed of swim team parents, coaches and district administrators — met late last week and agreed the pool was no longer a feasible alternative. “We knew it couldn’t be done the way the board approved it,” explained committee member Chris DeVol. According to DeVol, the committee realized $2,500 would be inadequate to pay for a civil engineer. Committee members had hoped to work with the township themselves.
“The school district knew it would cost at least $7,500 to do it the way they do business,” DeVol said.
District Business Manager Jaclin Krumrine had said at an earlier meeting that it would cost $8,000 to $10,000 for an engineer to devise complete land development plans. The $2,500 was for a less comprehensive, initial plan.
“We decided it would be imprudent to spend taxpayer money on something we couldn’t do,” said DeVol.
Instead, the pool parents are now asking the school board to provide YMCA memberships for the swim team members, enabling them to swim on the Y’s team, as well as the OJR team. “Our swimmers would have a better practice schedule and be able to still have their coaches,” a committee member wrote in an email to board members and administrators.
While the pool committee has correctly grasped the concept that tax money should not be used to pursue an impractical plan, the parents have apparently missed the point that it is not the school district’s responsibility to accommodate their children’s schedules.
Owen J. Roberts students have been fortunate to have a pool and swimming instruction and swim teams. Few other districts have that benefit.
The inconvenience for 18 months is unfortunate, but the point must be made over and again that the burden of inconvenience should not be borne by the taxpayers.
The OJR parents were wise to drop the temporary pool proposal, but they will be foolish if they think they are owed something that is considered a luxury everywhere else.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Posted on Wed, Apr 9, 2008
$15,000 pool refilling covered
Insurance will pick up Owen J. Roberts' tab
By Laura Catalano, Special to The Mercury
SOUTH COVENTRY — The Owen J. Roberts School District will refill the middle school pool, ensuring that it will remain open through June, a school board committee decided Monday night.
The decision to refill the pool, even though it will have to be emptied again in July, was made after the buildings and grounds committee learned that insurance would cover nearly all of the $15,000 cost of adding and treating the water.
Officials say it will take about two weeks to fill the pool, heat it and chemically treat the water. All swim programs and activities will resume on April 21.
The district was forced to drain the pool in order to clean it after a soccer ball went through a large, interior glass panel that overlooks the pool area. Shards of glass were found across the deck and seating areas, and throughout the water.
Some district officials had wondered whether the cost of refilling the pool was justified, since it must be drained again in July for a planned 18-month middle school renovation project. The middle school will not reopen until January 2010; although, the pool may open several months earlier to accommodate swim programs.
Business Manager Jaclin Krumrine said the cost to refill the pool would be about $15,000, but she called that a “very rough estimate.” The district’s insurance policy will cover that cost, with the exception of a $2,500 deductible.
The insurance would pay, even if the district waited until the renovation project was complete to refill it.
“They will reimburse us at any point that we refill the pool,’ Krumrine said.
The building and grounds committee consists of board President John Dutton and board members Debbie Bissland and Keith Fulmer.
Several other board members were present at the meeting.
The committee agreed to refill the pool after hearing a list of activities that would have to be cancelled should the pool shut down early. Chief among those is the middle school swim program. One hundred and twenty-five sixth-graders are scheduled to begin a swim instruction class this month. Also, the district’s middle school physical education program includes swimming for sixth- and seventh-grade students.
Parent Dannelle Gerhart observed that sixth-graders who miss swimming instruction this year won’t have the opportunity to take it again until they are in eighth grade since the pool will be closed next year. Eighth grade may be too late for students to get comfortable with the water if they’ve never before had lessons, she said.
Parent Dee Bennett also argued in favor of filling the pool. She pointed out that the board has already budgeted for the $15,000 cost to refill the pool following the renovation.
“I don’t think that should even come in to play when you look at the educational component of this,” she said.
Other programs that would have been cut had the pool closed were community swim lessons, lap and recreational swim times offered three days a week each, a stroke and turn clinic, scuba diving lessons and a lifeguarding course. The pool is also used for a Special Olympics program on Saturdays and an adult aqua aerobics class, as well as several other classes and events.
District swim teams would not be affected if the pool were shut down, since their season has ended for the year.
The incident that shut down the pool occurred March 26 after a physical education teacher kicked a soccer ball that missed the goal and went flying out the gym door into the hall. It crashed into the panel of glass that overlooks the pool.
Although students were in the pool area, none were injured.
District employees drained the pool and power washed the interior and the deck and seating areas — a job that was completed Monday.
According to Krumrine, the glass panel is also covered by insurance. That will not be replaced immediately since it must be removed as part of the renovation.
“I wouldn’t recommend fixing the glass because we’re going to have to replace it anyway,’ she said.
The panel has been boarded up and will remain so through the end of the school year.
Overactive sports parents a problem for us taxpayers
10/13/2008
Different sport, different group of parents, different problem — but the same theme.
The Owen J. Roberts School Board last week again debated a costly request to accommodate a select group of students during a temporary inconvenience.
Previously, it was the swim team whose parents wanted the school to erect a portable pool so that they could continue practices during the middle school renovations. That request eventually fell by the wayside when it was learned that not only was it expensive, but the pool could not legally be approved by the time the construction would be completed.
This time, the request is for the school district to spend $20,000 on two heated trailers for the football team. The request came before the school board building and grounds committee last Monday, and they discussed the matter for well over an hour, at times angrily.
In the end, the committee voted to move the issue to the full board to discuss at a future meeting. It also asked administrators to look into acquiring a used modular classroom that could serve as a football storage/changing area and a physical education classroom.
At issue is a proposal for two eight-foot-by-32-foot temporary trailers which would provide equipment storage and changing facilities for the high school and middle school football teams. Business Manager Jaclin Krumrine reported Monday that the temporary trailers would cost $20,000 and would need to be handicapped accessible. What's more, South Coventry Township engineers wanted to see design drawings before issuing a temporary permit for 180 days. Trailers kept longer than 180 days would have to meet additional requirements.
The trailers were first suggested to alleviate overcrowding in the high school locker room since the middle school team is using high school facilities through January 2010. But when the cost and impracticality became known, the high school administration came up with alternate plans. The alternatives apparently did not sit well with football parents.
Committee member Debbie Bissland, whose son is on the football team, said she is concerned for students' safety. "Let it be loud and clear, this issue is not about my own child," she said.
High school principal Richard Marchini said Bissland's concerns about overcrowding and inadequate changing areas had recently been addressed. He said the 100 middle school football players were now using the auxiliary gym as a changing area, and the high school team was using the locker room.
The school is looking for a solution for equipment storage as well, to which Bissland replied that it was difficult for students to carry both their backpacks and football equipment back and forth to school each day.
Committee Chairman John Dutton questioned the wisdom of spending $20,000 for trailers when the football season ends in a month. The committee agreed to look into purchasing a used modular unit from another area school and pass it onto the full board for discussion — a solution that seems to make sense.
But again, the OJR School Board was being asked to throw fiscal responsibility and common sense to the wind to answer a few parents' cries for an immediate solution to a temporary inconvenience.
Thankfully for taxpayers, cooler heads prevail.
— Journal Register News Service
©The Phoenix 2008
Taxpayers Assoc. member joins school board
By Laura Catalano, Special to The Mercury 10/15/2008
SOUTH COVENTRY — The Owen J. Roberts School Board has appointed Eugene Endress, president of the OJR Taxpayers' Alliance, to fill a vacancy on the board.
Endress was one of 13 people who had applied for the seat of Jack Kane, who resigned Sept. 19. Kane cited a change of residence as his reason for quitting. He recently moved to Reading.
The appointment was made Monday night at a special meeting in the high school's LGI room, attended by about 100 people. The list of applicants was read at the meeting by Business Manager Jaclin Krumrine. It included: former district superintendent Karen Florentine, former board member Debbie Eddinger, pool committee member Mark E. Zeleznick, as well as Chester F. Czuj Jr., Susan K. Flavin, G. Christopher Fogwell, James Harrop, Douglas K. Hughes, Heather A. McCreary, Brenda L. Ritschard, Jill M. Walsh and William Kleinfelter.
Among those attending the meeting was a contingent of teachers represented by Roberts Education Association President Karin Suzadail.
"We implore you to choose a candidate who will work to strengthen the bonds of all the stakeholders of the Owen J. Roberts community," Suzadail said. "We must have a true student focus. Tonight is the opportunity to make sure that happens."
Mike Bonaducci, head of the support staff union, also spoke, urging the board to appoint someone who would cooperate with Superintendent Myra Forrest.
"We need a board that supports Dr. Forrest and her goals for the district," he said.
Endress is a regular at board meetings, with an eye on budgetary matters and is often critical of administrative and board spending proposals.
The decision to appoint Endress was not an easy one for the often divided board. A discussion on the matter lasted more than an hour, much of it revolving around how to conduct the meeting.
The board had decided not to interview the applicants. Instead, all board members were given resumes for the candidates last Friday. They had planned to make a decision based on those resumes.
The board members seemed at a loss as to how to go about making that decision.
"There has been no discussion by this board as to the procedure that was going to go on here tonight," said board member Barbara McMeekin.
Board member William LaCoff recommended that each board member nominate their top three choices, then, through board discussion, narrow the field down to three finalists. That suggestion led to a squabble between LaCoff and board member Debbie Bissland.
Bissland said she'd studied the resumes and done some "digging and investigating."
"I don't really see the advantage of each of us saying what their top three people are," Bissland said.
LaCoff countered, wondering "What is it you found out that disqualifies some people?"
When Bissland failed to give specifics, LaCoff asserted that, "We're going to have a Soviet-style election."
Board President John Dutton brought an end to that argument.
"We either conduct ourselves or postpone the meeting," he said. "I don't think it's fair to the 13 people who sent in resumes to hear the b.s. that's going on at this table."
The board then moved on to other matters, but soon returned to the appointment. After more discussion on how to go about making the decision, McMeekin nominated all 13 candidates.
Each of the nominees was then invited to come before the board to speak briefly about their reasons for wanting the position. As it turned out, only six of the 13 were in attendance.
First to speak was McCreary, an OJR graduate who said "I would like to give something back to the community."
Next came Kleinfelter, a familiar face to board members as he has attended meetings for the past two years.
"I think we need somebody on the board who has a level head and knows the issues," he said.
Former board member Debbie Eddinger reminded the board of her four years of service and her knowledge of special education matters.
Walsh, mother of two students in the district, said she wanted to bring a "fresh perspective," to the board.
Zeleznick, known to the board as a fervent supporter of a proposal last year to install a temporary pool at the high school during renovations of the middle school, said, "We need to get some common sense to stop bickering over the small stuff so we can get the big stuff done."
Endress said that he wanted "to work for the taxpayers of the community, but also for the children." He has been president of the OJR Taxpayers Alliance for three years.
Florentine was not present, but board member Karen Zelley spoke in support of her, noting that she was an expert in personnel matters and knows a great deal about the district and school budgeting.
McMeekin objected, insisting Florentine was not a wise choice.
"Overwhelmingly, morale in this district was poor due to the administration," during Florentine's tenure, she said.
The board needed five votes in favor of one person to make an appointment. After more discussion on how to proceed with the votes, six people were nominated. McMeekin nominated McCleary, Walsh and Eddinger; LaCoff nominated Kleinfelter; Zelley nominated Florentine, and Edward Kerner nominated Endress.
The first round of voting eliminated all but Kleinfelter, Endress and Florentine. Another round brought it down to Endress and Kleinfelter.
Finally, the board voted 5-3 to appoint Endress, with McMeekin, LaCoff and Rosemary Bilinski voting for Kleinfelter, while Bissland, Dutton, Kerner, Eric Scheib and Zelley supported Endress.
Endress will serve through December 2009.
©The Mercury 2008
The Pottstown Mercury (pottsmerc.com), Serving Pottstown, PA
News
Lack of OJR Halloween parade stirs passions
Thursday, October 16, 2008 11:17 AM EDT
By Laura Catalano, Special to The Mercury
SOUTH COVENTRY — An administrative decision to do away with Halloween parades in Owen J. Roberts elementary schools left some parents and school board members feeling like they'd been tricked out of their treats.
At a meeting Monday, a group of parents accused the district of using security concerns as an excuse to cancel the event and keep parents out of the schools. The discussion was at times emotionally charged, with some board members angered by the cancellation and Debbie Bissland in tears over it.
"You're cutting the parents out. We need the parents in the school," said parent Karen Shimer. "Don't cancel the parade. Don't take this away from families and don't enforce living in fear."
Shimer had sent an e-mail to board members and district administrators with a list of complaints about the cancellation. The e-mail was circulated among district parents. It stated that "we will not let fear keep us from living our lives and continuing traditions — 'LET'S ROLL'".
It pointed out that the district is "mainly rural" and "many of our children do not have a safe place to trick or treat," so that the school event is a highlight. Furthermore, it noted that a "Halloween parade on school grounds is considerably less dangerous than a field trip."
Shimer also expressed concerns that field day, pet day and grandfriends day would soon be canceled as well.
OJR Superintendent Myra Forrest assured her
there were no plans to cancel those events, and she agreed to revisit the issue of the Halloween parade. She asked district Chief of Security Lawrence Mauger to work with building principals to come up with a compromise plan that would satisfy everyone.
District elementary schools have traditionally held outdoor Halloween parades where students display their costumes. Parents are typically invited to attend. On Sept. 29, elementary principals sent home a note to parents saying the tradition was being done away with due to security concerns.
Shimer wasn't the only one upset by that letter. Several parents attending the meeting observed that the Halloween parade had provided the perfect occasion for them to see their children in school at a fun event.
Board member Debbie Bissland sympathized strongly with those parents. She said the parade was to have been her first opportunity this year to participate in her fifth grade child's classroom.
"My heart is broken," she said tearfully.
She also said she had not been aware of the decision until parents contacted her to complain, as she had not received the note from the principals.
Board President John Dutton and board member Edward Kerner, who are both often at odds with administrators, were quick to place blame on the administration for cutting the parade.
"The board knew nothing about it," said Dutton, adding that he agreed with the parents' stance on the matter.
Kerner did as well. "I'm appalled that they would take this away from the children," he said. "I don't want children excluded in any way, shape or form. It's all about the kids. That's what we're here for."
Forrest defended the decision to eliminate the parades, stressing that Halloween parties would still go on, but parents would not be invited. She observed that many area schools have already done away completely with Halloween celebrations, "because there are people who don't believe students should be celebrating it, and we deal with those phone calls too."
She said building principals and teachers had discussed the matter with Mauger and decided as a group to eliminate the parade for security reasons.
"They are not cancelling Halloween, they are just celebrating it in a different way," said Mauger.
With 600 students in some buildings, and all parents invited, there are sometimes 1,800 to 2,000 people attending, he said. That leads to parking issues, traffic concerns and crowd control problems. What's more, all five parades happen at the same time on the same day, making it impossible for district security officers to be on hand.
"Our elementary schools just can't handle it. It just became too large to supervise," said Mauger.
Beyond that, some parents come in costume, creating an added security risk. "You could be a Megan's Law offender behind a mask," he said.
But parents continued to object.
"If you cancel due to security issues, you can cancel anything you want due to security, even recess," said parent Lisa Diehl. "You're planting the seeds of fear in these kids, that's what scares me.
Despite Mauger's explanation, Kerner made a motion, seconded by Karen Zelley, to reinitiate the Halloween parade, apparently seeking to go over the heads of administrators.
Board member Eric Scheib objected. "We hire a superintendent to do a job, let's let her do her job. She made a sensible motion. Now let's see what she comes up with," he said.
Even Shimer agreed Mauger should be given an opportunity to devise a new plan, as did Dutton.
"I'd like to see the parade go on, but not without a security review," he said.
Kerner withdrew his motion and Mauger agreed to meet with building principals to come up with a solution. Bissland volunteered to meet with him, as well.
URL: http://www.pottsmerc.com/articles/2008/10/16/news/srv0000003793487.prt
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