By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday afternoon to advertise for architectural services for the district’s elementary school needs.
The board cautioned the process would take time.
Unlike the architectural study for the new high school, this examination of the elementaries has far more moving pieces. The options include one new unified elementary, renovation of the three existing elementaries, building two new K-5 elementaries, or looking at one building for K-2 students and another for 3-5 grades.
With each of these options, the study will look at construction costs, operations consideration, and the educational advantages of each, Superintendent Ted Haselman said after the board’s special meeting on Wednesday.
“This is going to be a much more complicated study,” he said.
The board instructed Treasurer Matt Feasel to solicit bids from architectural firms, with a deadline of noon on Feb. 16.
“This will start things moving,” Feasel said.
Haselman will appoint a committee to review the proposals and come back to the board with a recommendation of the best firm to do the study. He estimated the firms could have their bids ready by the end of February.
“I like this timeliness,” board Vice President Tracy Hovest said. “I don’t want to wait any longer than we have to. We’re going to have to do a lot. Let’s get going.”
Recognizing that these are tough times for tax levies in Ohio, board President Ardy Gonyer said delaying dealing with the elementaries will only add to the costs. Nine years ago, when the district proposed a plan for a new high school and a consolidated elementary, voters rejected the dual project that came with a $70 million price tag.
That delay ultimately led to the district passing a bond issue for $72 million just for the high school.
“The longer we wait, the more expensive it will be,” Gonyer said.
The board has already agreed that no building issue will appear on the ballot this year. While board members stressed they don’t want to rush the process, they also don’t want to stall studying the options.
“The work will take as long as it takes,” board member Ryan Myers said.
“This is going to be a detailed analysis,” board member Norm Geer said.
Board member Peggy Thompson was on board with hiring an architectural firm to study all angles involving the future of the elementary schools.
“We need to plan. This is a very good step,” Thompson said.
Gonyer noted the plan may include renovation, on-site new construction, demolition and new site options. If new buildings are constructed on the existing sites, there’s the question of where students will go to school during demolition and construction.
The following items are listed in the architectural pre-bond issue assistance services:
- Assess existing facilities.
- Assist the board in determining the scope of any potential projects.
- Prepare estimates of cost.
- Provide feasibility studies of potential sites for new buildings.
- Provide necessary graphics to serve as informational tools for a potential bond issue.
- Attend community meetings to present information and provide technical assistance.
The study will dig much deeper than the architectural study of the new high school. In that case, the district had narrowed it to one option – a new building – and one location – at the current high school/middle school complex.
“This time around, we’re going to look in the weeds,” Myers said.
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.
