BLINN HONORS LATE RICHARD POWELL, APPROVES SEEKING BIDS FOR PROJECTS
The Blinn College District Board met Tuesday night to recognize the late Trustee Richard Powell.
The board passed a resolution in his honor, and presented a framed photo and copy of it to his family members.
Board Chair Charles Moser said Powell was a true friend of the college, as well as its students and the community. Chancellor Dr. Mary Hensley said he possessed a clear vision for Blinn’s future, and he leaves behind a legacy of leadership and educational excellence.
At the time of Powell’s passing on October 13th, he was Vice-Chair of the Blinn board and the Washington County Precinct 1 representative.
In other items, the board authorized the College to look for bids from contractors for several projects. These include a monument signs and site improvements project on the Brenham campus, expansion of the Rankin Agriculture Complex, and roof replacement for the O’Donnell Performing Arts Center.
The board approved the monument signs project in late 2017, and would later combine it with other site improvement projects included in the 2018-19 repairs budget. The college has hired an architect, selected monument sign locations, and submitted designs. Administrators will select a contractor after receiving bids.
The original budget for the project was over $1.3 million, but the newly revised budget asks for an additional $674,000. These funds are available from a 2016 bond issue.
Engineers have proposed full replacement of the O’Donnell Center’s roofs. Renovations include a hybrid roofing system, installing new tapered insulation, and repairing metal roofing panels. After seeking bids, administrators will look for a contractor.
The budget for replacing the roof of the center sits at just over $472,000. Funds are available in Blinn’s 2018-19 repairs budget.
The Rankin Agricultural Complex expansion project was approved by the board in late 2017. Blinn has since hired an architect, surveyed and shredded the project site, and started the design process. The college will now look to obtain pricing for the project, which it has budgeted $1.5 million for. The college has project funds available from a bond issue from 2016.