School board members agreed to explore options to build a new maintenance building near Iola High School.
Maintenance Director Aaron Cole presented preliminary estimates to build an 80-foot by 50-foot structure, divided in half between a maintenance shop and offices. It would be located on a vacant lot west of tennis courts and near a small parking lot north of IHS.
Cole estimated it would cost about $278,000. School board members gave their approval to Cole to seek bids for the project, with an understanding costs would not exceed $300,000.
Initially, Cole sought estimates for a combination maintenance building and student activity center that could host indoor events such as wrestling tournaments or indoor baseball games. But any facility that involves students would need to meet regulations that significantly increase costs, Cole said. Plans for an activity center have been put on hold.
Instead, school board members asked Cole to explore building only a maintenance facility, possibly with restrooms that could be accessible during tennis tournaments. Perhaps that would require a separate entrance or even another facility.
“It’s not a deal-breaker for me,” board member Tony Leavitt said about the restrooms. “You need a maintenance building.”
The district demolished its maintenance building at the corner of North Cottonwood and East Jackson streets in 2020. That’s when the district constructed a new science and technology building, part of a bond issue that also built the new Iola Elementary School and brought a new heating and cooling system to Iola Middle School.
Since then, the maintenance and transportation department has operated out of a small building located a block to the north on Cottonwood. Most of the equipment — mowers, a tractor and utility vehicles — is stored outdoors at the bus barn facility located south of town at the former site of the Lehigh Portland Cement Co. Crews travel back and forth when the equipment is needed.
A new maintenance building would allow Cole to keep such equipment inside during the winter, which would be easier to do maintenance and extend the life of the equipment. Having a facility near the middle and high schools would improve efficiency, as crews would make fewer trips transporting equipment from the bus barn. 
IN OTHER news, the board:
• Heard its annual audit report. There were no issues.
• Modified its early retirement incentive program. Certified teaching staff who notify the district of their intent to retire will receive a bonus depending how early they make the announcement. The board approved an early notification date of Dec. 19, which would bring a $1,500 bonus. Two other dates were unchanged.
Staff who notify by Jan. 24 will get $1,000, and those who notify by Feb. 21 will get $500. The earlier administrators learn about a retirement, the more time they’ll have to recruit for the position, if needed. Superintendent Stacey Fager said that by adding a December date, the district could target mid-year college graduates.
• Heard a report about a new esports program at both the middle and high schools. The first day of the middle school’s after-school esports club last week brought 20 students; the second day had 16 students. The high school’s program is in its infant stages but a handful of students competed in a tournament last week and won, Fager reported.
