Members of the Indian River Board of Education voice their support for a new building to augment the aquaculture program at Sussex Central High School, but balk at the building’s cost.
The proposed building would be a pole barn-type structure of about 1,200 square feet, and would house equipment to farm oysters as part of the school’s agriscience program. Christopher Revel is a teacher at Sussex Central who has been working with the program.
“I think this would be a great opportunity for the kids to get to understand what aquaculture is and this area around us, what can really be done with that water that they see all the time, but maybe don't know what they could do with it,” he told board members.
Board member Michelle Parsons expressed support for the program, but stressed that the program needs to do a better job of tracking employment outcomes for its students.
“If we could get a no kidding system in place that we can track how successful this is, because I think that would be huge as well, where we could say to the community, we're doing this, and so many of our graduating students are going into these fields and contributing back to the local communities,” she said.
But, board member Anita West-Werner said the building, budgeted to cost some $350,000, was far too costly.
“I'm a daughter of a farmer. I love agriculture. I love the idea of this,” she said. “But for a 20 by 64 pole barn to be $350,000 just blows my mind.”
Other board members agreed, noting that the building’s construction is relatively simple, with a concrete slab, basic electrical and water needs, and no bathroom.
Brad Cowen with builder Richard Y. Johnson and Son said the building’s price tag was due to forces beyond his control.
“We're guided by the state's regulations with wages, and the materials are going up and up and up every day,” he explained.
Cowen added that, with board approval next month, the building could be up and running by early September. Revel told board members that building the new space would fulfill a commitment to his students, some of whom are entering their third year in the program.
“This is my third year,” he said. “So my current group of level 300s, I've been telling them for two years that this hopefully would be happening.”
Board members voted to authorize Cowen to come back next month with a finalized breakdown of costs before a final vote to proceed could happen. West-Werner and Parsons voted against the motion.
