Facilities Committee Shows Support for $30M Option

Pat Phelan of DLR Group and 34 community members gathered in C.L. Jones Middle School on Tuesday, February 28 for the fifth Minden Public Schools Facility Meeting.
Pat Phelan of DLR Group said this meeting would be the “culmination of everything we’ve been doing.”
He began with an overview of the five options presented at the last facility meeting.
Option 1 Phelan described as “fix what we have, with no additional construction.” The plan calls for renovations of each facility to meet some of the programmatic needs of the district, but would not add overall square footage.
Option 2-A was intended to target major deficiencies in the district, including a performing arts auditorium and possibly a new activities gym. The plan called for a unification of the middle school and high school, which also eliminates the safety concerns of students crossing the street in between.
Option 2-B would lead to a PK-12 facility all in one location by building an elementary school onto the west side of C.L. Jones and then connecting and renovating the middle and high schools.
The plan for such a facility included separate entrances for the elementary, middle and high school, as well as drop-off placed safely away from high school student parking lots.
Each plan included the wish to move the bus barn, but 2-B was one in which the bus barn could stay in place if the school wanted to cut some cost.
Option 3-A called for a new high school to be built on the west side of C.L. Jones, with the old high school eventually demolished.
This option had the benefit of not disrupting classes, as the high school could continue to function until the new facility was complete. Additionally, both the middle school and elementary would receive renovations.
The final option presented was Option 3-B, which also led to an eventual PK-12 facility.
In this plan, the high school would be built on the west side. Once completed, the old high school would be demolished and a new elementary school would be built in its place.
Regardless of the option chosen, Phelan emphasized the flexibility in terms of each option being a basic idea, and could be adjusted for cost-effectiveness. He repeated that before  going into the cost of each option.

For the full story, read The Minden Courier