Published: June 28, 2009 09:06 pm      

OF hopes to reduce Ike-related costs

ORANGEFIELD — Nine months since the storm, the Orangefield school district is close to wrapping up Hurricane Ike issues.

Philip Welch, superintendent of the Orangefield Independent School District, gave a report to the Board of Trustees during a regularly scheduled meeting last Monday night informing them on the district’s current status amidst storm repairs.

“Right now we are about $94,000 short when expenses are compared to reimbursements,” Welch said. “We still have a couple of invoices out, plus we have made an appeal we hope will reduce our amount from $94,000 to about $50,000 or less.”

Welch said the district has spent approximately $528,000 in Ike-related repairs and renovations since the storm made landfall in Sept. 2008.

Some of those repairs include the agriculture shop and replacement of two large roll-up doors, fencing at Cormier Park on FM 1442, the air conditioning unit at Orangefield Elementary and one on the cafeteria at Orangefield High School. Other damages included the fencing on the tennis courts, and the awning at the ticket booth on the visitors side of the football field.

In other news, Welch said the district’s insurance policy premium increased by $50,000, but the coverage remains the same as before Hurricane Ike. Welch said this is good news because some of the premiums received from various other agencies were less favorable in costs and coverage.

Welch also said the school board will leave the local homestead exemption at 20 percent, which it has been for many years.

Orangefield ISD announced the hiring of Brian Huckaby this past Monday as the new athletic director and head football coach. Welch said the district still has “a few other coaches” to hire for positions on Huckaby’s staff and throughout the district, as well as an athletic trainer. All of this could be handled at 6:30 p.m., today, in a specially called school board meeting.



Tommy Mann Jr. is a reporter for The Orange Leader. He can be reached at 409-883-3571, Ext. 2619 or tmann@orangeleader.com