ALGONA- Jay Limbaugh joined returning school board members Cheryl Grether and Keith Kuecker on the 2009-2010 Algona Community School Board. Each was elected to serve a four-year term on the school board.
The meeting, however, was the last for David Fenchel.
Fenchel has served the Algona Community School Board for a total of seven years. Upon disbanding the 2009-2010 school board, Fenchel had some parting words for the board.
"It has been my privilege to serve the Algona Community School board and I truly appreciate opportunity serve last 18 years," Fenchel said. "Some say serving school board is a thankless job, but I've found it has been a job filled with many thanks. Not all decisions we've made on the board have been easy, some of them have been unpleasant. Even if it is easy or difficult in nature, our teaching staff, support staff and administrators, care for the decisions we make and communicate to us others thoughts, suggestions, concerns on decisions we've made.
"I know I'm leaving this school district great hands, great future, still have great people care, for the future of our students. It has been my distinct honor to serve with the folks here and bless patience understanding over years gratitude and thanks."
Floyd Lavrenz replaced Fenchel as board president and Marc Singer was voted in as vice-president of the school board.
The middle school building has progressed favorably over the past few months.
"The gym walls have started going up recently," Fonley said. "Larson construction has over 20 masons on site. They also have two-thirds of the fire wall up, and hope to have the offices and gym constructed and enclosed by time snow starts to fly. The weather has helped the construction move along tremendously."
The new middle school came up twice more in the meeting, once to approve the contracts with Johnson Controls for heating and cooling and another to investigate building materials from the state fire marshal.
The fire marshal issue had many members upset.
"The materials we're using have already been pro-rated," said Lavrenz "Why is the state fire marshal requesting we do more inspection on them?"
The cost of the tests could be upwards of $29,000.
"Talking with Allers, this was a possibility," Fonley said. "It's not something that everyone encounters in the building process."
"I don't want to see construction set back, but I really think we need more information before we act on this," said Marc Singer.
Lavrenz and others voiced the need to ask more information on why the building materials needed to be tested during the construction process.
Fonley is going to look into the matter, and depending on what he finds out, may hold a special school board meeting to discuss the matter after learning more about it.
The board also discussed establishing district goals, continuing on from last month's meeting.
"I think the district goals give us a good roadmap as to where we are going," said Grether.
Fonley will bring updated goals to the next school board meeting.
Linda Mertz discussed the choir trip planned for this year.
"We asked parents if they would have a problem with this schedule, and of the 57 surveys I received back, only two families said it would prove to be a problem," Mertz said.
This year, the trip will fall over Easter break for students. Students will depart Wednesday, March 31 and return Saturday, April 3.
The plan for this year's trip is to go to Denver, Colo. Cost of the trip will be $450 per person.

Cutlines - Fenchel receives a plaque for his 18 years of service.
Newly elected and re-elected board members Jay Limbaugh, Cheryl Grether and Keith Kuecker were sworn in at the school board meeting on Monday, Sept. 14.