By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 school district approved a resolution announcing its intent to close the Rockwell Administration Center as a school at its meeting Monday night.
The closure of the administration center was part of the broader bond-funded plans nearing completion this summer.
Wilson Elementary School was closed as a school at the end of the school year, and the administrative offices will be moved to that building. The district hopes to complete that move by fall 2027.
The district will conduct a public hearing on the closure at its Aug. 17 meeting.
If the board agrees to close the building, the state has the right of first refusal to purchase the property.
If the state approves, the district can pursue the sale of the property.
Superintendent Ron Wilson said if the district sells the property, the funds would go into the capital outlay fund.
SEE RELATED STORY: Hays USD 489 to start process to close Rockwell Administration Center
Capital projects
The district approved multiple capital projects at its meeting.
It approved the purchase of commercial display panels for O’Loughlin and Felten Elementary Schools from KCAV, totaling $85,086.
Additional screens were needed to accommodate changes made during the ongoing remodel at O’Louglin.
Screens from the former middle school have been moved or are being incorporated into various conference rooms around the district.
Wilson Elementary School had older projectors, and those will likely be recycled.
The board approved the low bid of $47,808 from Commercial Builders to move playground equipment from Lincoln and Wilson Elementary schools to Felten.
Lincoln Elementary School was closed as a school in 2025. Its playground equipment has been in storage.
Board member Allen Park said he hoped that next time the work could be done by district staff.
Wilson said that was not possible at this time. He added he hopes the district is not moving any more schools soon.
The board approved the purchase of new rooftop HVAC units for the Felten Elementary kitchen from BCS through the state purchasing system, at a total cost of $231,967.
The old units were not controlling humidity in the school kitchen, allowing moisture to build up and mold to grow.
The HVAC project will be paid for with bond funds. They will be installed by Glassman Corporation and are outside the scope of Nabholz Construction, the construction manager at-risk.
Nick Howard, the district's new director of building and grounds, said the kitchen would have to be shut down without replacing the HVAC units.
The board approved the purchase of $22,785 worth of tile from Home Depot using an Omnia Purchasing Cooperative bid. This was part of remodeling the remaining classrooms at Hays Middle School this summer that were not remodeled during the bond-funded project.
This purchase will come from capital outlay funds.
In other business, the board
• Approved appointments and resolutions as part of its annual reorganization meeting.
• Approved the board meeting calendar
• Approved recommended Kansas Association of School Board policy changes.