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LISBON -- The vultures and turkey buzzards circling over Lisbon just cost the school district in excess of $6,000 for repairs to the roof over the high school elevator shaft.
"They're tearing it up quite a bit," district maintenance supervisor Roger Tullis reported Thursday night at the Lisbon school board meeting.
Board members saw their own version of the Alfred Hitchcock movie "The Birds" when Tullis showed them video of that 8-foot by 8-foot section of roof -- no birds were seen, but plenty of bird droppings and visible damage from them perching on the edges.
"They're picking that rubber roof off," Tullis said.
He's had to fix stadium lights damaged by the birds, too, and other sections of roof, always in spots where the birds perch. He estimated that 80% of the roof issues would be eliminated if the birds left the area.
"I've reached out to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources about them being here and the damage they continue to do," Superintendent Joe Siefke said.
He told board members he thought it was appropriate to show them the video before they voted on the roof fix, saying they need to know why it needs fixed.
Board members approved a contract with Tremco to repair the elevator shaft covering at David Anderson High School for $6,327.
Board member Jim Tsilimos asked if some type of fence barrier could be put up so there's no place for the birds to perch, but Tullis said they would just perch on other parts, plus that could cause damage.
"We think they like the black roof because it generates a lot of heat," he said.
He shared that someone told him to put a coyote decoy on the roof, but then somebody showed him a picture of a coyote decoy with the birds sitting on top. When the work was being done to upgrade the stadium field previously, the birds disappeared for awhile due to all the equipment. As soon as the equipment and activity stopped, they came right back.
Siefke said it appears to be more of an issue now since some trees were cut down on Sunset where some of the birds used to roost. Another month and he said they'll migrate south.
"We've tried about everything. We're at a loss with how to fix it," he said.
Board member Jennifer Whitman asked what ODNR had to say.
According to Siefke, they suggested some type of noise maker, but he had to explain that the school and stadium are surrounded by homes in the middle of a community. When they chase them off of the stadium lights by banging on the poles, they end up on the high school roof. They're protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Tullis said the plan is to encapsulate that section of roof over the elevator shaft with a different material that he described as white roofing material with granules in it. The hope is they won't like perching on it.
When asked how much the damage from birds has cost the district overall, they didn't have the numbers, and didn't want to guess, but estimated it's a substantial amount of money.
In other matters, the board accepted the retirement of high school math teacher Linda D'Ippolito, effective at the end of the school year, with Siefke expressing appreciation for her and that she let them know her intentions early. He said high school math teachers are not easy to find and this way, they'll arrange for her to work with some student teachers in the next semester so they can learn from her. He summarized her letter of retirement, in which she recalled lots of memorable moments of her time in the district, with the students what she'll miss the most. The students have left a lasting impression on her and she'll leave after 30 years in education knowing she made a difference.
The board also approved a memorandum of understanding with the Jefferson County Education Service Center for a one-time grant of $55,000 to offset the cost of a psychologist due to being an Appalachian school district.
A three-year contract was approved with ACCESS for the program Attendance K12 at a cost of $5,664 and the board approved first reading of updates to NEOLA policies. The board also heard reports from DAHS Jr./Sr. High School principal Keith Edenfield, McKinley Elementary Principal Dan Kemats, Siefke, Tullis and Director of Technology Adam Fill, who reported on getting 12 additional cameras at the buildings through a grant and installing new desktop computers at the high school.
The next school board meeting will be 5 p.m. Nov. 12 at the administration building.