WATERLOO -- A coin toss could determine who is appointed to a vacant seat on the Waterloo Board of Education.

Board members on Monday may consider that possible solution to break a tie vote two weeks ago. The board meets at 6 p.m. in the Education Service Center, 1516 Washington St.

Judy Fossell resigned from the at-large position last month for health reasons. The six remaining board members split evenly in voting Oct. 27 between Ray Richardson and Shanlee McNally, two of nine applicants for the position. Pam Miller, Barb Opheim and Bernice Richard voted for Richardson. Lyle Schmitt, Mike Young and Mike Kindschi voted for McNally.

A memo from Board Secretary Sharon Miller suggested the coin toss. Other ideas include voting again on the two applicants, agreeing to consider any set of applicants from the original nine, discussing an attempt to reach a majority vote for one of the applicants, making new nominations for the position or holding a special meeting no later than Wednesday to continue the process.

The board has to make a decision by Wednesday to avoid a special election, which would fill the seat until next fall. If a special election is required, the vote must be held Dec. 16.

In other business, the board will:

Consider construction of a baseball and softball training building at East High School with an estimated cost of $316,500. A board memo said coaches, parents and athletes identified a state-of-the-art indoor training facility as a priority to make East teams more competitive in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

The 110-by-90-foot heated pole building would be called Trojans in Training and would feature three collapsible batting cages, two practice pitching mounds and a practice defensive infield. The project was approved by the Waterloo Planning and Zoning Commission and the Waterloo Board of Adjustment.

Consider a 3 1/2-year gasoline purchasing agreement with the city of Waterloo. The agreement would enable Waterloo Community Schools to avoid paying road use and sales taxes on the fuel. The taxes have been about 35 to 40 cents per gallon, according to a board memo. The district also avoids the costs of operating and maintaining its own fuel pump station, including the costs of meeting environmental regulations.

Consider two grant applications from East High. Physical education teacher Joanna Rahnavardi wrote a $15,389 inclusive community grant to Veridian Credit Union to buy 20 Polar heart rate monitors and the TriFIT evaluation system. Assistant football coach Justin Galbraith wrote a $12,437 grant to the R.J. McElroy Trust for the purchase of an end-zone camera and software.

Consider an $8,398 change order for five manholes in the construction of a school replacing McKinstry Elementary. The change order will boost the total contract cost to $14.05 million. The money comes out of the contingency fund set aside for the project. That fund would have $689,358 remaining if the change order is approved.

Hold signing ceremonies for seven new Partners in Education with district schools. They are Cadillac Lanes and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Lowell Elementary; Immanuel Presbyterian Church and Kittrell Elementary; the Boys & Girls Club of Black Hawk County and McKinstry Elementary; Staples and Black Hawk Elementary; The CBE Group and Lincoln Elementary; and Cedar Valley Community Church and Lou Henry Elementary.

Contact Andrew Wind at (319) 291-1507 or andrew.wind@wcfcourier.com.