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GOWANDA - As more of Gowanda School's Hillis Field becomes visible through the mud, the outlook on the cleanup work that must be performed on it has improved.

The Gowanda School Board discussed ongoing work on the field during a special meeting, with Superintendent Charles Rinaldi saying more headway has been made in clean-up than expected thanks largely to the help of inmate crews.

Inmates from Lakeview Shock Facility in Brocton began cleanup of the perimeter of the field Monday and worked so efficiently they were asked to return for further assistance, having since cleaned out beneath the bleachers and other areas of the field as well.

The school has also been approached by members of the community who wish to volunteer their own time and power to help clean the field. To cover any potential liability issues involved with the work, the school has gone through Hands-on Disaster Relief, a global disaster assistance agency that has recently set up a mobile center near the fire hall, to recruit and organize a volunteer effort.

Anyone who is interested in volunteering to help clean Hillis Field was encouraged to visit the Hands-on Disaster Relief mobile center for more information, but Rinaldi noted that extra hands may soon be unnecessary.

"The good thing is that progress has been so remarkable that by Friday, we may be down to going out there with pumpers and pumping water out of [the under-the-field drainage unit] may be all that's left," he said.

It is too early to determine how useful the field may be for sports activities in the coming future. Part of the field has apparently been too choked by mud for grass to regrow and is planned to be reseeded. The composition of the soil beneath the mud has been encouraging, though.

"It does appear to be good topsoil, frankly," Rinaldi said. "What they've taken out of there smells like good, green earth. Not all of it smells good ... but the earth we're taking out smells like good garden soil."

Damage to the track still appears substantial, with a layer of mud sandwiched between it and the layer of asphalt beneath. It was uncertain during the meeting how well cleanup of that substance would proceed.

The tax warrant in the amount of $4,565,081 for the 2009-10 school year was adopted at the meeting ahead of the Sept. 1 state deadline. Rinaldi said that Silver Creek School Superintendent David O'Rourke has already sought assistance from the state similar to the Flood Relief Act of 2007, which granted affected counties at the time a financial pool of property tax relief. Rinaldi has issued letters to the same effect to state legislators.

In other matters:

Gowanda School has agreed to let St. Joseph's private school use some of its refrigerator and preparation space to make box lunches for its students, as the St. Joseph cafeteria, located in the school's basement area, was wiped out by the flood. The arrangement is expected to last about six school weeks.

Grace Dudek was appointed to a half time position in the special subject tenure area of Education of Children with Handicapping Conditions.

Charles Ross was appointed as JV Football Coach.

Tammy Bradigan and Nelson Felt were appointed as substitute school monitors; Nancy Smith was appointed as a substitute keyboard specialist; Andrew B. Lord and Jessica Hojnacki were appointed as substitute bus drivers and Jacquelyn Abers, Keri Hayden and Michelle Lulas were appointed as teaching assistants. Lulas subsequently resigned as a part time school monitor.