Thanks to the efforts of three local individuals, Little Miami Local Schools turned trees into money.
As construction began to rev up this summer, the site excavation work included the removal of several large trees along Big Foot Run where the new Junior High School is being built. Fortunately, Bucky Henderson, site superintendent, Fred Lawrence, assistant site superintendent, and Don Muchmore, industrial arts teacher at Little Miami High School, saw an opportunity to generate revenue for the school district and took action.
Henderson designed the scope of work for the excavators to include coordination efforts for the removal of approximately 15 trees, some of which were nearly 100 years old. Rather than just haul them away, Henderson proved money can grow on trees.
More than 2,200 board feet was produced from the walnut, cherry and white maple trees. Once removed, they were stored at a local logging company until the price of lumber rose to maximize the return on the trees. The district received a check for fifty percent of the timber value, which equaled $2,985.
"We are so proud and thankful to these three individuals for their efforts and foresight," said Superintendent Dan Bennett. "Little Miami Local Schools and Quandel/Dugan & Meyers truly are committed to fiscal stewardship in every step of the construction process."
The high school addition is scheduled for completion by August 2008, and the new junior high and the new intermediate schools are both scheduled for completion by August 2009. The overall plan, "Excellence With Value," will create additional space to house 5,200 students district-wide with the ability to easily increase capacity to 6,000 students; it provides flexibility for the future by using phased planning.
