During Tuesday afternoon’s meeting, the Dawson Springs Board of Education approved the new storm shelter-safe room plans for the FEMA project.
Superintendent Leonard Whalen provided an update on the preliminary drawings for the new storm shelter-safe room and emphasized his goal to make this space as functional as possible.
click to download audioHe noted that the new storm shelter-safe room is required to be over 6,000 square feet and will be rated to shelter 1,000 people. However, he expressed concern that the project might surpass the $2 million budget allocated by FEMA.
click to download audioWhalen added that while he thinks the current drawings to be of high quality, he anticipates that some modifications will likely be necessary after FEMA reviews the plans. However, he added that he believes this is a good start to push the project forward.
The board unanimously approved the new storm shelter-safe room plans, which will be submitted to Kentucky Emergency Management for review before being forwarded to FEMA, a process that Whalen noted will take some time.
In other updates from the board meeting, Whalen announced that the last day for students and graduation is set for May 23rd. While he stated that no action was needed at Tuesday’s meeting, he mentioned that the topic would be included on the agenda for the next school board meeting.
In addition, the Board acknowledged several personnel actions, including the announcement of high school principal Todd Marshall’s retirement effective June 30th.
