Brimfield making progress on new bus barn

By ANDY LATORA
For The Weekly Post

BRIMFIELD – The Brimfield School Board’s monthly meeting coincided with the last day of school for the district’s student on May 20.

“We’re out before Memorial Day so that’s always very good for everyone’s psyche,” Brimfield Superintendent Chad Jones said.

Jones then provided a brief update on the progress of the district’s bus barn, where interior walls have been framed and mechanical and electrical rough-ins are being completed. Power will be provided to all of the existing equipment and overhead doors in the coming weeks.

“It looks terrific in there,” Jones said. “There’s still some things to do before we get in there but the hope is that it will be done before the next board meeting, which is ahead of schedule.”

The next board meeting was moved back a week to June 24, which was among the agenda items the board approved.

In other new business, the board approved:
• Gorenz and Associates for Fiscal Year 2026 audit services.
• Insurance renewal from The Unland Companies.
• Bus barn IT equipment from Heart Technologies.
• Purchasing agreement for Peoria County Co-Op.
• Lunch prices for the 2026-27 school year, which increased 10 cents, and registration fees for the high school and grade school.
• FY26 tentative amended budget and FY27 Consolidated Plan.
• District’s parent and family engagement policy.

An item that was tabled concerned the summer facility capital projects plan. Jones suggested tabling the blacktop renovation of the parking lot. Board Member Clint Drury noted the differences not only in the prices of the four bids but the scope of the work presented in the bid.

One bid, for example, was for $16,500. Another was over $36,000 but specified it would provide a 10-inch concrete base and 5 inches of asphalt.
“If it’s a way better product … it’s a lot more expensive but it’ll last way better,” Drury said.

Jones said he would re-bid the project to get “an apples to apples bid” for the board to consider.

The board accepted the retirement of Kim Runyon, effective on May 21, and approved Jamie Henson as the district’s technology coordinator and Kate Olcott as a special-education teacher at Brimfield Grade School.

The board also approved extracurricular assignments and support-staff personnel assignments for Fiscal Year 2027.