City of Marquette awarded school property
Recent retirees who were honored at the Sept. 9 MFL MarMac School Board meeting included Larry Cox, Kurt Gaylor and Sandra Thornton. They are pictured with school board president Gina Roys and superintendent Dale Crozier. (Photo by Audrey Posten)
School board honors retiring staff members
By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times
The MFL MarMac School Board, at its Sept. 9 regular meeting, accepted an offer of $28,000 from the city of Marquette for 4.9 acres of district property in Marquette’s bench neighborhood.
A hill at the backside of the baseball field, the land was part of a 9-acre chunk superintendent Dale Crozier discovered the school owned a couple years ago. Following a closed session at its July 15 meeting, the board voted to divide the property into three parcels. The first, a sliver of yard next to the ballfield, will go to the private property owner who’s been maintaining it. The second, which is part of the baseball field and includes some lights and a portion of city utilities, will be given to the city of Marquette. The final portion was put up for sale.
Four different individuals or neighbors inquired about the property, said Nathan Trappe, broker with Allen Real Estate Co.
“The city offered full price, but the others didn’t want to go that high,” he remarked.
The 4.9-acre property is a popular spot for local kids to play, and residents encouraged the city to make an offer for it to assure future access. At its August meeting, the Marquette council said, if purchased, the land would remain undeveloped green space.
“I think they did a good thing in purchasing it,” Crozier said, stressing the importance of the partnership between MFL MarMac and the city of Marquette, as well as the district’s other communities.
Retiring staff honored
The school board honored several staff members who recently retired from the district. Those recognized were Kurt Gaylor, who served as a guidance counselor for seven years; Larry Cox, who drove bus for the past 18 years but served as a principal prior to that; and Sandra Thornton, who was a paraprofessional for 33 years.
Staff changes approved
The board also approved contracts for several new staff members. Tiffany Torkelson, Jennifer Pritchard and Amanda Howes will join MFL MarMac as paraprofessionals.
The board accepted the resignation of Tyus Adkins as assistant baseball coach.
Bond rating increased
Crozier notified the board that the district’s bond rating has increased from A+ to A++. The rating will be helpful in the upcoming referendum for a field house facility, he said.
“When we do go for the field house, it will lower the interest rate a half percent more,” he explained.
School receives donation
Crozier said MFL MarMac is the recipient of a $10,000 donation from Father Robert Levenhagen, a Monona native. The funds will provide scholarships to students interested in attending Loras College.
