Thursday, April 15, 2010 • HERITAGE NEWSPAPERS/WESTERN REGION m Page 3-A

Photo courtesy of Joyce Ervin

Volunteers Helen Russell, Maye Postell, Shirley Krase, Francis Pbibyl and Dorothy Gilbert cut out circles from used greeting cards for placemat fundraiser.

center. Proceeds from the fundrais-

ers will go into the group’s gen-eral fund and will be used to further the center’s programs.

Another project has many hands busy. Placemats that will sell for $3 each are being assembled by volunteers. Volunteers are cutting 3-inch circles out of used donated greeting cards. The circles are then assembled into colorful, artistic, oval-shaped placemats with a scalloped edge. The

placemats are covered with clear contact paper for easy cleaning.

Shirley Krass concentrates on making theme-inspired designs such as birds, flowers and images suitable for reli-gious holidays.

Donna Kneebush artfully assembles various designs

from all-occasion cards that draw the eye.

It’s not just the ladies cut-ting circles. So intent are the seniors with completing their project that they have recruited the center’s bus driver, Frank Fulcher, who can be found cutting out circles in between runs.

FUNDRAISER FROM PAGE 1-A

School projects begin

By Steven HowardHeritage Newspapers

Milan Area Schools Superintendent Bryan Girbach said the district will spend more than $20 million this summer to fund infrastructur-al improvements at Paddock Elementary and Symons Elementary, as well as the middle school.

The money became available after a bond issue was passed by voters in February 2009.

Girbach said there are several major maintenance issues within these buildings that school officials have been eager to address, including replacing the roofs and mod-ernizing heating and cooling systems.

“All of this is getting our buildings in a condition to where they can sustain them-selves for the next 15 to 20 years,” he said.

Girbach said in addition to the heating and cooling upgrades, the middle school will get new lockers and additional classroom storage facilities.

Paddock will receive new lockless lockers, and have car-pet replaced with tile floors.

Symons will have “extensive site work performed on the main parking lot,” he said, “in order to improve the student

drop-off and pick-up for par-ents,” as well as receiving a new gymnasium floor.

Girbach also said technol-ogy upgrades will occur throughout the district, includ-ing WiFi capability for all buildings, new phone systems and digital classroom learning systems.

In a press release, Girbach cites four companies that will perform the work, including Clark Construction, Fanning Howey Architecture and Engineering, Plante Moran CRESA and Barton Marlow.

“Most of the subcontracts have been awarded by the Milan Area Schools Board of Education over the past two months,” Girbach said in a written statement. “The few remaining subcontracts will be awarded at board meetings during the months of April and May.”

Though teachers and other staff will have to be out of the buildings by the end of the school year, Girbach said everyone is happy to see the improvements come to frui-tion.

“They’re obviously excited,” he said. “They’ve been behind this.”

Girbach said all three build-ings will be closed to everyone –– staff and the public alike –– for the duration of the sum-mer, and all activities that usu-ally take place in them have been moved off site.

“We’ve moved all of those programs to the high school,” he said.

Girbach’s statement also indicates an abundance of work next summer.

“During the summer of 2011, the work on the high school, transportation garage and ath-letic facility will take place.”

For more information, contact Girbach at 439-5050 or girbachb@milanareaschools.org.

Steven Howard can be reached at 429-7380 or showard@heritage.com. Read his blog at http://heritagewest-staffblog.blogspot.com.

Bond projects get under way when summer begins

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