DE PERE SCHOOL BOARD
Masks-optional policy
The De Pere School Board approved an optional masking policy at a Feb. 7 special meeting, ending its temporary mandate for grades 4K-6.
Students who have been exposed to a COVID-positive individual and who are symptom free won’t be required to mask up, unless the close contact is a member of their household.
If cases rise to 5% of the student body in any given building, all students in that building will mask up for five days – which equivalates to 73 students at the high school, 34 at the middle school, 32 at Foxview Intermediate, 21 at Altmayer, 25 at Dickinson and 29 at Heritage.
The masks-optional policy went into effect Tuesday, Feb. 8.
Superintendent Ben Villarruel said when it comes to students in the younger grades, everyone is a close contact.
“In the 4K-6 classrooms, there is no social distancing,” he said. “By design, there’s a lot of interaction, a lot of moving around. The students are active. They are not sitting in seats.”
Villarruel said infections spiked in early- to mid-January and are now down dramatically, from 306 infections districtwide to 12 as of Tuesday, Feb. 8.
Masks will continue to be required on buses.
Tennis court expansion
Thanks to the fundraising efforts of head tennis coach Jerry Gillespie, the high school will soon have two additional tennis courts, bringing the number of courts to nine.
Gillespie has held a number of campaigns for funds to improve and expand the tennis courts in the district.
The two courts will be situated just north of the current tennis courts and west of the stadium concession stand.
Maintenance issues
In other matters, the board voted unanimously to approve spending about $14,000 on two new water heaters to replace two dated units at the high school, which are 21 years old.
Pat Meyer, director of buildings and grounds, said in November, one of them split its tank and failed.
“It flooded the locker room,” Meyer said.
The two current heaters were approved in the 2000 referendum, and since the November breakage, the school has been running with only one water heater.
The proposal includes removing both of the existing heaters and storage tanks, and replacing them with one standalone 60-gallon natural gas water heater.
Meyer said the new system can heat 138 gallons per hour.
SUAMICO VILLAGE BOARD
Possible uses for ARPA funds
With more than $1.36 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars at the village’s disposal, the Suamico Village Board discussed possible uses for that money when it met Monday, Feb. 7.
Village Administrator Alex Kaker said the village could choose to spend its entire ARPA allotment on government services, which could include the expansion of Lineville Road, replacing a fire truck, the Calavera Park Master Plan, Idlewild Park tennis/pickleball courts, a future water tower and/or a future water well.
Finance Director Jessica Legois said the village’s ARPA funds are kept in a segregated money market account at Fortifi Bank.
Board members expressed interest in using the money for the Lineville Road expansion, which is being planned for 2024 and 2025.
Trustee Dan Roddan said using ARPA funds to expand Lineville Road could reduce the amount the village would have to borrow for the project.
“And what better way to do that than probably our largest cost (that) will come in is the Lineville Road expansion,” he said.
Trustee Steve Andrews said he also favored using ARPA funds for the Lineville Road expansion, because it is already planned and would benefit everyone who would use the road.
Village President Sky Van Rossum suggested contacting someone at the state level who could review the village’s possible uses of RPA funds.
Kaker said he would contact Suamico’s legal counsel about what the village is thinking of doing with the ARPA funds, as well as the state lawmakers who represent Suamico about appropriate uses for the money.
Recreation director selected
The village has found its next recreation director.
After meeting in closed session Jan. 27, the board directed Kaker to extend a tentative offer of employment to Nicholas Lemke.
Kaker said Lemke, who has been a recreation supervisor in West Bend since October 2016, was one of 20 applicants, and will begin Feb. 28.
“Nick’s vast recreation and community event programming experience will be an asset to our recreation department,” Kaker said.
GREEN BAY CITY COUNCIL
Municipal code change approved
Council members approved a change to the city’s municipal code relating to appointed officials and their removal at its Feb. 1 meeting.
The change makes appointed officials – city assessor, attorney, chief of operations, clerk, comptroller, director of Community and Economic Development, director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry, director of Public Works and treasurer – terms indefinite, and removal for cause by a Common Council majority vote.
Under the previous ordinance, directors were appointed to two-year terms.
District 8 Alderperson Chris Wery said the move was unnecessary.
“I don’t see this as a problem that is something we need to address,” Wery said. “When have we taken a department head and thrown them to the curb on a willy-nilly notion? Because we haven’t… Now, do we hold them accountable, yes, that is our job. So, what this would do is shift that from us being able to hold them accountable every two years, and we are the citizenry, so we are taking that away from the citizens, and putting it solely into the mayor’s office… I haven’t heard a good argument on why this needs to change.”
District 4 Alderperson Bill Galvin, on the other hand, said the change was long overdue, because of the uncertainty the previous ordinance brought city leadership staff.
“I just never understood the ability of the council, why would the council want to remove someone from their position for no reason,” Galvin said. “If any department head doesn’t do what a councilperson wants, here’s their opportunity to take a shot at them… no rhyme, no reason, no explanation, no recourse, boom. Has it ever happened? No. Could it happen? Absolutely… I don’t think that’s right. I’ve said it before, I don’t think it’s American, and I think it’s embarrassing to want to keep doing it that way.”
Press Times Editor Heather Graves, Staff Writer Kevin Boneske and Correspondent Lee Reinsch contributed to these briefs.