001Anyone would like to sign up for public comment, now's the time to sign up. I'd like to welcome everybody to McCory County Board of Education regular board meeting October 28th, 2025, 5:30 p.m. Central office. Call to order and roll call. Braxton >> here. >> Drew >> here. >> Cody >> here. >> here. Chair's here. Need a motion and a second to approve the agenda. >> I'll make motion approve agenda. >> Second. >> I'll second. Motion. >> Motion and second. Drew. >> I cody. >> I chair votes. Braxton. >> I communications this time. Prayer by Mr. Braxton Ke. Father, we come to you now in the name of Jesus Christ. We thank you, Lord God, for just your protection and moving over the hearts and lives of our students and our staff, Father, in the name
002of Jesus. Father, give every one of them wisdom about their days, Father, and just let them be and accomplish all that you that you desire for them. Thank you for your promise that you know the thoughts that you think toward them, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give them a future. We speak that over them now in the name of Jesus. At this time, the pledge of McCory County High School JC to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. this time. Superintendent communications Dr. Other than the person authorization just need to acknowledge receipt of that treasury report we have payments and special revenue we had grant reimbursements and then dispersements district activity fund
003we had a donation from OBC to construction in our debt service we made some bond payments service reimbursements totaling 202,000 general fund had an ending balance of approximately 10.2 Any questions? >> Uh, public comment. We have [snorts] Caitlyn Ross. Topic Smithtown School. Miss Kaitlyn. >> Um, I actually have quite a few questions. So, sorry. Um, first off, do any of you all know historically about Smithtown, like the schoolhouse it said, how long it's been there, who built it. >> The board cannot answer questions. They can listen to your concerns, but they legally can't have a discussion. >> Okay, that is fine. Um, so well I'll go ahead in 2005 there were 271 sites built by and studied for the WPA. Um, within those only 36% had survived. So out of the 12 schools that were
004originally built in 2005 only six were surveyable and only three are still standing now. Um there's concern about it being retrofitted instead of demolished because I mean better use of tax funding, better use of funding overall. Um there was mention of liability as reasoning in the last 20 years. Have there been any like major cases or anything that had come out about it as lawsuit worthy or unlawful injury things like that? Um along the same lines, the WPA program also had come through same timeline. They had the Amro the Emro bridge was built, the Sterns clubhouse, natural arch, and the fire tower at Sterns. Those are all historically I mean that's who we are asians. Um would we bulldo those? if there was a pinch. Sorry. [laughter] Um, as far as education for the historical
005preservation, it could serve as a very very valuable tool for many years to come as well as be profitable because the um Kentucky Historic Society as well as the Heritage Council says that they can back 40% of renovations to discontinue with any of the asbests products or hazardous materials. There are also grants along the same lines that could help cover costs. So instead of paying demolition fees and all of that, it could be covered. Um, also is there I know that you said you can't answer the question. Is it was mentioned that that it could be anywhere from 20 to 70, but that was decreased from the first statement of 70 to 180, I believe. with this demolition ordeal. Um, are the companies being are they being questioned about their abilities in asbestous? Have they
006been surveyed before? Are they are they able to handle it? Same thing with lead. I know the boiler room was a concern. If those materials were potentially put into the site, it could allow for legion because of the gray area that would be fryable versus non-fryable. Fryable becoming airborne versus nonfryable, which is like the tile, the harder compacted. The gray area that even the congressman has noted has been about when you look at friable versus nonfribal. Friable being you can non-fryable you cannot drill it, you cannot sand it, you cannot have any intervention vehicles. So it can potentially become a pollutant if it is demolished because you're taking equipment in who's to say a heavy one of the many rocks that it's built with could fall on it become hazardous. it could become fryable and
007then it is in the air for days versus hours and I think it is 0.1 part per million in the air to be allowable in an 8 hour period that is very very very fine particles. Um, is there if that if that falls under with the Clean Air Act or the drinking water act, could it also open up the board for liability when it comes to things like um the trust fund? Is that something that the community members are able to speak with you all about? Because I mean in 30 years if I if I'm a community member and I end up with metheloma which is just from asbesus exposure would it be something that the board would be open to discussing and how would that go about because there is another school very close
008within range for contaminants. Um as long a heavy residential area. Um the yearly death rate on asbestous related conditions is 40,000 in that area. I mean we're not heavily dense as 40,000 but that could be the entirety of the population if you look at it on a small scale aside from just the US scale. Um, also posing question since the tax rates have recently increased where does the demolition [clears throat] money come from? Is it tax tax or is it from grants or what kind of what kind of finance is there for that? Um, it has also been mentioned the 20,000 for potential if the board had discussed it to rent the equipment. Would who would it be that is it just any anyone that does the seal bid or does it have to be
009someone within the hazardous materials community to go in and make sure that it doesn't exceed that 0.1 parts per million? Um also with the retrofitting with the heritage council bagging 40% of remediation plus the grants they have asked since I have I personally have nominated the school house to be surveyed for preservation. Um they have also asked that we get permissions in order to go in and photo document everything just in case it is demolished. This is a very valuable resource for our area. I have a whole bunch more questions but trying not to specifically ask questions. Um the educators and the staff actually had to sign waiverss at one point to safely work in the facility saying that they knew of the ases contaminants. If it was sealed, would the workers who potentially went
010into demo is I know it has to be disclosed, but would they also be open for any type of retroactive benefit if they contracted some sort of asptosis or messiloma anything related to the asbestous or hazardous materials. I think that pretty much >> [laughter] >> I I'll try to answer a few of your questions. I think I was teach Okay. >> Um in regards to renovating the building. I had an architect company come in about four years ago, about four years ago, to give us an estimate of what it would cost to to renovate the newer building. And that was well over $2 million to get it up to the standards to be able to even be usable, to be open. Um, you know, at the current time and even even at that time, we
011didn't have funding or access to funding to be able to to do that. Plus, we didn't really have a use for that. You know, we didn't have a program that needed to be housed there. Um, as we're talking about retrofitting, I'm not sure if if you're referring to that they would the half of that what you say 40%. >> It's 40 up to 40% >> the total cost of renovating or just removal of asbestous >> removal as business also retrofitting for a new purpose if sold to even another entity. >> Okay. Um okay. Um, as far as removal of the Asbestus, the Asbestous plan, uh, we had Airsource Technologies to come in and do a survey and get [snorts] all of the as best this was documented and where it was at and how many
012parts per million and all of that stuff. There is one section of plaster that will have to be removed prior to demolition and we will contract with a company that specializes in that asbestous removal. So they they do that put it in our asbestous plan. Um it's like we had some some stuff done when we renovated part of the high school that was that was done. It was all sealed off. They came in, they do their thing, dispose of it properly. When it comes to the boiler room though, specifically, I know that a lot of that stuff was still intact. The record showed that it was sealed, which is a perfectly neutral point as long as it's left unsurfed. So, would that be someone coming in and also removing that >> or is it If
013it's in that plan, uh, and they send us that plan, it's like 14 15 pages. Anything that they recommend to be removed by a professional prior to demolition, we would do that. >> Okay. And even though it is a gray area for all the laws and the ordinances, is that a concern or I mean it is a concern from the community, but is that something you all are vested in looking into or Well, as far as I know, we've talked to everybody that we have to talk to. We have to notify the EPA 10 days prior to start. But as far as as liabilities, we've had several folks to break in out there, squatters, and it's in bad shape. I I may not fully understand that, but from the preservation standpoint, why are we not
014looking at selling to another entity so the liability is transferred from the school district? Because I mean, I'm as far as I know, the county also or the school board, the district owns multiple properties, whether they be donated or had been bought. Why would those not be more profitable to put money into for a new bus garage than bulldozing on a historic site? >> Um, that piece of property is more prime for a bus garage. We own a piece of property over here on Cab Creek Road, but that would take a lot of a lot of cutting and a lot of feeling because it's hills and hollers and that that would be more of an ideal place for us. Okay. What makes it more >> the topography? It's it's a lot flatter. >> Okay. [clears
015throat] >> So, finance wise, if it was 180,000 for demolition versus 180,000 put to another property to make it better, to be better. Um, is this would that even be a possibility for the board to look at to discuss? >> Pro probably not because our insurance uh is is really looking at Smithtown property property about being on our policy insurance for schools is really hard to get sometimes and they consider that a huge liability. >> Okay. Um, as far as that goes, I know noticed that the school was technically closed for different reasonings. Um, as far as that goes, if sold, and I know that it's a prime spot, I I don't fully understand that, but to each their own. Um, but if you went forth with that reasoning, even though there's as best as
016there's it's a historic site, why why demolition? That's that's my main question. Why demolition versus anything else? I understand the the liability. Is is it even insurable as a bus garage with I mean gas tanks on a demolition That's about all. >> Yeah. >> I mean, I can think from a liability standpoint with the insurance like they're looking at it as somebody gets hurt in there breaking in, coming and going, debris. Once once it's demolished, they wouldn't consider it any more of a liability risk than any other vacant lot the district owns. right now it's considered much higher risk and they have talked about canceling canceling it on the policy which is a bad deal if that goes through >> and something that I I have discussed with a couple of board members and talked
017with Tiffany about is if if this is followed through with text down the the rock that is there on the old building I would like to save that rock for memorabilia for folks in the community that might that might >> Okay. As far as liability standpoint goes, um is there going to be compensation if if the asbesus becomes airborne and potentially in the next 30 years because that's their time span harms the community members, the residents, children. Is that going to have to be discussed by the school board as a liability? Also, >> that's too fact specific a question. Like we'd have to look at it in the moment. Like you're talking very general and very broad. Like each claim, any claim presented, no matter what it's about, would be looked at by the board
018or by our insurance. The question just becomes, is there any merit to it or is it a frivolous claim? And I I couldn't even begin to speculate as to what that is. I know Dr. Taylor's talked to the EPA. He's talked to the appropriate licensed folks to do this and I imagine if they don't do something right, liability would ultimately fall on them in the broadest terms. Um, but that's also the big reason that you have the asbestous compensation fund the federal government put together is most people can't track where their asbestous exposure really came from. And so they put kind of a fund together to help people through through truthfully bankrupting a lot of the companies that made asbestous. I mean, that's where a lot of the money came from that's in that fund
019that's used for settlements. But it's very All of us have been exposed to asbestous, at least if you're my age, you're all age, maybe some of the younger kids have been, but all of us have been exposed to asbestous at different points in time. And the reality of metheloma is you can be exposed to asbestous and show no signs or symptoms for 20 30 years and then one day you just wake up and it's game over kind of situation. And so it becomes very hard to pinpoint and identify where the actual exposure that caused your sickness, cancer, whatever you want to refer to it as came from. As far as that, I mean, for [clears throat] me personally, if something as well documented as one of our landmarks being demolished, that is a memorable moment.
020We have people from all over the county that are like, I attended Smithtown in the 60s that still remember to this day exactly what happened. So, I feel like that's definitely going to continue to be a standoint For what it's worth, my grandfather taught there for 25 years. So, I get it. I mean, I do get it. >> That's who we are. >> Okay. Well, thank you for your concern. Appreciate something here. Thank you. >> Thank you. Action by consent. Need a motion in a second. Make a motion that we consider [clears throat] discuss or take additional route coverage. Excuse me. Pay for bus drivers and monitors to adjust salary schedule. A recommendation is made to the board to approve transportation department proposal to implement $30 per route stop for drivers. covering split or double
021routes beginning November 1st 2025 adjust the salary. You have anything you want to add to that? Maybe an explanation of >> Yeah, we're just we're asking the board to kind of issue that little $30 that $15 coverage for our drivers. Um what's really happening right now is we're staying about two or four drivers understaffed at all times. And so um we're using our mechanics to drive and then And from there, if somebody when we have one or two people calls at six, we end up with routes not being able to be covered. And the staff that we have working is have to come back and run double routes or we have to double load buses up. So, it's double the work for our drivers. And really, it's double the work your drivers for no no
022reward or no work. And so, u if that just happened one day or every once in a while, that would probably be okay. But what we're actually under staff. We're putting our drivers right now through it over and over and over and it kind of it's wearing on our drivers and we need a we kind of need a way to reward what they're doing and working and give them compensation for what they're what they're doing. That's the thought process behind it. The good thing about it is uh our budget already has built in. So it don't really cost us nothing else to do this because Miss Tiffany done has budgeted in for like the two or three drivers for this year that we don't have hired. And so really we're just using that money to
023pay the bus drivers that we would already be paying if we had people running those routes. So it don't really cost us no more money up staff morale for already a low group and help compensate people for the work they're doing. Any discussion on this motion or second? Make a motion we approve additional route coverage pay for bus drivers and monitors as motion to approve as presented. Make a motion we approve as presented. >> I chair votes I >> Drew >> Cody. >> Next meeting and adjourn. The next meeting of education will be Tuesday November 18th 2025 5:30 p.m. to board central office and to adjourn. Motion second. >> Make a motion we >> motion second. >> Thank you all.