Penta Career Center administrators are preparing for the future with various projects under way or in development to meet the needs of a growing student population.
At the March 13 meeting, representatives from two architectural firms presented updates on four projects to the board of education.
Those projects are the Corporate Drive building in Holland; cosmetology remodeling on the main campus; proposed renovations to the dining area and a proposed e-mobility facility for automotive in the south wing.
Sonny Hamizadeh, architectural department manager at Kleinfelder Architecture Inc., said work on the Corporate Drive space is progressing .
“Permits have been secured, construction is on schedule and inspections have gone smoothly,” he noted.
He provided the architectural schematic on where offices, labs and classrooms will be along with a common area where students can grab a bite to eat from vending machines, whether in classes during the daytime or evening.
With regard to the cosmetology lab updates on the main campus, he said workers are on schedule to finish the first phase by early April and will move students into the new lab before starting work on the second phase. “It will be totally complete in August,” he added.
John Castellana, of TMP Architects, updated the board on a proposal to put an addition on to the commons/dining area. The addition is being designed to meet the increased number of students, but also will have a divider wall, possibly of glass, to separate it from the main area and allow the community to use it for meetings.
The architectural features will blend in with the existing interior and exterior of the building and will provide seating for 208 people.
It will include single restrooms and a buffet table for use by private groups.
Superintendent Ed Ewers reminded the board that these plans, along with ones for the e-mobility lab, are “not final plans.” This is just the design phase, he explained.
William Roberson, senior architect for Kleinfelder, went over the schematic design for the e-mobility project.
The 15,000-square-foot building will be located at the north wing across from the auto parking lot in an area of pine trees, he said.
It will feature labs and classrooms. “As the auto industry changes, you can pull down walls and readily convert the space,” he said.
The one-story structure will feature mezzanines for storage and mechanicals.
Mr. Ewers pointed out a lot of time was spent with automotive instructors gauging their needs.
He reiterated, “This is schematic only and not a final design. This is a good start for us to see what the space could look like.”
Lime City Road
Mr. Ewers presented the board with an update on the Lime City Road repair work.
Lime City has been reduced to one lane with a traffic signal since February 2023 when an overheight truck traveling north on I-75 struck the overpass, he explained.
He pointed out the meeting room windows to construction vehicles that are in place, noting that work begins this month and is mainly preliminary work such as surveying and soil boring. No impact to traffic is expected in the immediate future, but the overpass is slated to close in June for 120 days.
Mr. Ewers acknowledged he is a bit concerned about the start of the school year this fall.
“This could potentially impact transportation. I’m anxious about how this will look in August when school starts,” he said.
The work will be done by Beaver Excavating of Canton, and Parsons Corporation at a cost of $7.2 million.
The project will entail removal and replacement of the existing concrete bridge deck, replace a damaged steel beam that was removed, repair one of the existing beams, add two additional beams to widen the structure on the west (southbound) side to support a future multi-use path, and raise the bridge height by more than a foot, from 14’ 9 to 16’ 6, according to ODOT officials.
In an ODOT press release, Pat McColley, District 2 deputy director, said the existing bridge is at legal height, but is being raised to reduce the likelihood of it being struck again.
“The bridge has been struck a number of times–each time by vehicles without a legal permit or that exceeded the height of the permit,” he said.
The project also will result in traffic on I-75 being restricted.
Other Business
In other business, the school board:
•Recognized 10 students for their high achievement with the advanced careerclean energy technology curriculum. The students earned high marks on the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute’s test. They are juniors–Tyler Bankey, Josie Bartolet of Springfield Schools, Samantha Jones, Jed Kish, Pierson McMillin and Logan Schwab, and seniors– Jack Cygnor of Perrysburg Schools, Matthew Faguett, Brad Smith and Sylis Sweeney of Springfield Schools.
•Accepted the resignation of Rachel Bernhard as assistant supervisor, effective June 30 and appointed her as supervisor, effective July 1.
•Employed several support personnel: Jen Myers, instructional aide, beginning March 18, and Rose Wilson, secretary, March 25.
•Approved the employment in adult education of Lorrie Dymond, fire program director, part time, $31 per hour; Keith Feeney, Dillon Flick, Cuyler Kepling and Wendy Waisner, public safety part time, $31 per hour; Andrew Larsen and Kristine Seibert, massage therapy part time, $33 per hour
•Accepted the rates as determined by the Wood County auditor for the 2024-25 school year. The auditor estimates the 2.2 mills general fund and 1 mill permanent improvement levies will generate $17.39 million and $6.3 million respectively.
•Approved 12 requests to attend professional meetings, five requests to attend the Business Professionals of America annual state leadership conference in Columbus.
The next board of education meeting will be at 5:15 p.m., Wednesday, April 10, in the board room of the administration building, 9301 Buck Road, Perrysburg Township, and is open to the public.
