By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The next facilities plan for Bowling Green City Schools will come with new architects, a new superintendent, and at least two new board members.
The board of education held a workshop meeting on Wednesday to hear presentations and interview two prospective architectural firms on the services they could provide to create a district facilities master plan.
Eighteen architectural firms had expressed interest in the project, with five submitting quotes. The field was narrowed to two firms:
- Garmann Miller, of Minster, which designed the new campus at Otsego.
- ThenDesign Architecture, of Willoughby, which is currently working on new school facilities in Fremont.
The two firms gave presentations to the board on their backgrounds, ability to build a master plan for the district, visioning for the schools using available land, ability to communicate the needs and wants of the district, and roles of their representatives who work with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission.
No decisions were made at the meeting, but board Vice President Tracy Hovest said the board was pleased with the presentations. Board President Ryan Myers was unable to attend the meeting.
“They are very much into creative learning environments that meet the needs of today’s students,” Hovest said. “I think we have two very good firms. I’m excited to see what they bring to the district.”
Though Bowling Green City Schools has worked on new building plans in recent years, it was done more in pieces – a new high school, a new consolidated elementary school, an addition to the high school and new elementaries.
But all have failed to get voter approval at the polls.
So this time, the board wants to create a master plan for the district.
“We kind of feel like we’ve been down this road four times,” Hovest said. “We’ve never looked at the bigger picture.”
Hovest expects the board to select an architectural firm soon.
“Then we’ll hit the ground running,” she said. “We are looking at how we can move forward.”
And that may mean getting a levy on the November ballot.
“I think it’s a possibility,” Hovest said. “I don’t think any of us wants to waste time. Time is of the essence.”
The district has enlisted the help of the community in its past building plans with focus groups and input sought from diverse interests in the district.
“We spent five years with focus groups and planning groups,” Hovest said.
Different this time will be the master plan approach by a different architectural firm, a new superintendent to be hired later this spring, and potentially new board members.
Hovest said both Jill Carr and Ginny Stewart, who have served on the board for eight years, announced at Wednesday’s meeting that they would not be running for re-election. Hovest said she will make a decision about running for re-election closer to the filing deadline in August.
