Discussion continues about new school sign, salary raise approved

SWAN VALLEY – The Swan Valley Elementary School Board continued their discussion about the new school sign at their March 12 board meeting. In other business the board approved a 2.5 percent retroactive raise for the hourly and salary employees as well as a 1.5 percent step increase.

Swan Valley resident Sue Cushman started the discussion on the proposed digital sign. After reading the school board article in the Feb. 14 issue of the Pathfinder, she was concerned about the aesthetics of the sign and the cost.

“I was scratching my head and [asked myself], how can they be thinking of spending this vast amount of money on something that I think is abhorred?” questioned Cushman.

Cushman’s main concern was that the sign maintain the rural characteristics of the valley as outlined in previous comprehensive plans. She read from the Swan Valley/ Condon Comprehensive Plan amendment April 20, 1987, “The valley should discourage the use of neon and back lighted signs, flashing lights and similar advertisements along Highway 83. Encourage rustic type signs that fit with the natural environment.”

From the Swan Valley/Condon Comprehensive Plan dated Nov. 14, 1996 she read, “Signs should be constructed of materials that fit the natural environment. They should be limited to 15 feet in height, should not be flashing or neon and the lighting of the sign should not cast beyond the property on which it is placed.”

While Cushman acknowledged there were no legal requirement to follow these guidelines, “it is there to guide us.”

While the final version of the 2018 Swan Valley Regional Plan has been submitted to Missoula County for review, no one at the board meeting knew what its requirements were for signage along Highway 83. The board agreed to look into it and consider the recommendations prior to making a decision.

Cushman disagreed with many statements made by the board as reported by the Pathfinder. She feels that the Swan Valley School is not the center of the valley and doesn’t drive past it every day, nor would she. She feels the Swan Valley Facebook page serves the function of an information center for the valley and the school’s sign doesn’t need to be the valley message board. She also felt that the amount being discussed on what to pay for the sign was outrageous.

Mercer said he appreciated the comments since this is an ongoing process and they are still in the planning process. He reiterated from the February meeting that this is part of the strategic plan that they have been working on for the past several years.

During the board’s annual planning meeting this year, trustee Randy Williams coined the phrase, “pride of ownership.” Williams said that if the facility is a nice facility, it will build pride in those who attend the school and in the community.

“I think a new sign would be a big benefit to our school,” said Williams. “It would be something that would catch your eye and say hey, they have made an improvement.”

Thanks to a community effort, a flashing light for a school zone was installed this fall in front of the school to slow traffic down before school starts and during the hour when school lets out.

“People see that but they don’t see the school,” said Mercer. “We also want people to know there is a school here.”

In addition to the sign to encourage pride of ownership, Mercer said they have created a new logo, they will also be starting a student of the month program to promote student achievement and they want to start inviting the community in to see some of the student projects.

“We want to elevate our presence,” said Mercer.

Trustee Jimmy Boyd addressed Cushman’s concerns about the sign’s appearance. He said the intention is that the sign would fit in with the valley and the architecture of the school.

The design he thinks would best fit their needs for three lines of text on a digital display with the option to have the logo backlit on the sign, was a four by eight foot sign on a four foot pedestal. No graphics would be used on the display, only text, and it would not be blinking or flashing. Using large rocks and plants around the sign would help maintain the rural characteristic of the valley.

“It is not necessarily a recommendation that we do it. But if we did do it, I think this is the direction we should go rather than trying to create an architectural structure that doesn’t match the school,” said Boyd.

The cost for the sign Boyd described cost around $12,000. After adding in the cost to install it and landscape around it, the total cost would be closer to $16,000.

Mercer said he has been in contact with the Swan Valley Community Foundation and they may be willing to underwrite the cost of the sign. Mercer and Stout agreed they could pursue external funding and volunteer efforts from other community businesses and groups to drop the actual out-of-pocket for the school.

Boyd clarified that funds used to purchase the sign could not be used to pay teachers more or purchase other supplies. It would be coming out of the maintenance budget.

The board agreed that they needed to create a line-item budget outlining specific costs. Boyd will present this budget at the next board meeting.

Based on the recommendation of District Clerk Heather Mincey, the board unanimously approved a retroactive raise of 2.5 percent on the base salary for all hourly and salary employees back to July 1, 2018. They also approved an increase of 1.5 percent for all step increases. This raise, while not as high as Stout wanted to match the current cost of living increases of 5.1 percent, allowed them to stay within the current budget.

In other business:

• Swan Valley Emergency Services received trauma kits from Frenchtown Fire Department after participating in an active shooter training this past month. Swan Valley School has a new kit in the library. The volunteers will continue the active shooter training in Seeley Lake. All staff and substitutes will be encouraged to attend.

• The board unanimously approved hiring Danni Parcell as the head track coach.

• The board unanimously approved the resolution for running a 2019/2020 Building Reserve Fund and transportation permissive levy.

The next board meeting will be April 9 at 7 p.m. at the Swan Valley School.