By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Ardy Gonyer didn’t waste any time as new president of Bowling Green Board of Education to address the multiple elephants in the room – the district’s aging elementary schools.
With the new high school under construction, and a new operating levy approved by voters, the district needs to start the process of studying the future of its elementary schools, Gonyer said during the first monthly board meeting of the year.
“That conversation will begin in earnest tonight,” he said.
But lest district residents jump to conclusions that the board is moving quickly, Gonyer and other board members made it very clear this is a marathon.
First, there is no plan.
Second, there will be nothing on the ballot this year.
Third, citizen input will be sought – just like it was on the new high school building.
“This should not come as a surprise to anyone,” Gonyer said. The district has struggled to find a solution to its aging elementaries that voters will support.
Board member Ryan Myers knows that talking about changes to elementary buildings is an emotional topic for many. “It elicits very deep reactions,” he said.
But he stressed that the board has not even studied all the possibilities. “We don’t have a plan yet.”
“We don’t even have a concept of a plan,” Gonyer said. “It has to be a plan the community will support.”
The options are many, including some that may not even be realized yet.
A study of the three elementaries – Conneaut, Crim and Kenwood – done years ago by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, came to the conclusion that the Conneaut and Kenwood buildings were not worth the district sinking any more money into. The Crim building, which has gone through extensive renovations, was determined to be salvageable.
The board agreed to ask Treasurer Matt Feasel to draw up a proposal to hire an architectural firm to study all the possible options – such as two new buildings, one consolidated building, just renovations, and more.
This project could make the high school project look simple, since the site and the need for new construction were certainties with the high school.
“There’s a lot of work to be done,” Myers said, emphasizing that nothing about this project will move fast. “We want to make sure we select the best plan,” and that can’t happen this year, he said.
The new high school plan came together after a methodical process, with a lot of community engagement.
“I think we learned a lot from that,” Myers said.
Board member Norm Geer said the board needs an in-depth professional analysis of all the options.
“We have to do something,” he said. “Doing nothing is not an option.”
Board member Tracy Hovest agreed. “It took us eight years to get the high school,” she said, adding that the district can’t wait that long for elementary improvements.
Board member Peggy Thompson said she recalled when Haselman came to the district, he said “I have a plan.” The board needs to “follow his example, and plan,” she said.
Gonyer asked Feasel to pull together numbers on how much the district spends to maintain the aging elementaries. Some of the larger ongoing expenses have included HVAC, plumbing and roof repairs.
Hovest said she suspected taxpayers would rather not continue “putting tax money into buildings that keep breaking down.”
In the past, district leadership was criticized for failing to maintain the older buildings, leading to their deterioration. But Haselman and Feasel assured the board that buildings are now being properly maintained promptly when problems are found.
“We’re fixing the issues that come up,” Gonyer said.
