W. HOLMES DISTRICT -- A new copier contract is projected to save the district $250,000 over five years.
Treasurer Jamie Zeigler informed the board Wednesday a contract with Graphic Enterprises, Canton, has come in at $51,300 less than the previous contract with Xerox. The contract was arrived at after taking quotes from several providers, Zeigler said, and based on input from office personnel.
The contract, for $48,700 a year, is lease to own and includes a maintenance agreement. The contract applies to all copiers in school buildings and offices.
Zeigler said she was "very excited" to find such substantial savings.
"This will save us a quarter of a million," Zeigler said. "We will be getting updated copiers at a better cost."
After the five-year period is up, the copiers will be made available to the district for $1. A contracted maintenance agreement would continue.
Zeigler said office staff reviewed several copiers and were impressed by the durability and speed of the copiers offered by Graphic Enterprises.
The district will keep two copiers from the Xerox contract. The Xerox copiers will be covered by the maintenance agreement, Zeigler said.
In other business, the board voted to send a final draft of a power line easement for approval by American Electric Power. The easement has been over a year in the making, with the board haggling over placement of utility poles.
The original easement plan, as presented by AEP, was to run transmission lines on the north side of state Route 39 west from Millersburg, with the first utility pole at the east edge of the middle school and high school campus. The line was to continue west to a second utility pole near the high school before traveling north up state Route 754.
Board Vice President Eric Strouse said the easement, as prepared by the district, has the lines cross south over state Route 39 at the eastern edge of campus, resume west and then cross back north once the line is past campus. The easement would only require one utility pole, near the eastern-most entrance for the school's athletic fields.
The easement was prepared by legal counsel retained by the district, Zeigler said, with the legal fees paid by AEP.
The next board meeting will be March 15 at 7 p.m. at Nashville Elementary School.
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