close

McGuffey School Board presented with options for district upgrades

3 min read

After not meeting in July, McGuffey School Board was presented Thursday night with an outlook of potential expenses that could arise in regard to district facilities over the next several years.

Architect Andreas Dometakis and McGuffey buildings and grounds supervisor Jim McClelland, who were at the forefront of a six-month feasibility study encompassing enrollments and building capacities, presented their findings to board members.

“We are letting the school board know what we know, and of things that need to be fixed,” McClelland said. “The plan given to the board is so they are not surprised. This way we can begin putting together a possible lump project or work on it year by year.”

Dometakis brought to light needs on both elementary schools, Joe Walker and Claysville, along with alterations and improvements that addressed the middle school, high school and athletic facilities.

Dometakis will return at the October board meeting for further discussions after board members look through the detailed information and options they were given.

“There is a lot of side work and many logistics that still need worked out,” Dometakis said, when discussing the laundry list of projected project costs during the presentation.

Those options ranged from simple-but-costly expenses of installing an additional elevator at Joe Walker Elementary and exterior brick repairs to the high school and middle school, to the possibility of redoing concession stands and putting both home and away locker rooms adjacent to the football stadium.

After handing out what he described as a “front-loaded” list for a potential five-year plan and costs for each project, McClelland spoke to the board about how many of the facilities in McGuffey School District, both academically and athletically, are nearing the end of their life expectancy.

“It has been an administrative effort to get to the point where we are right now. Now it comes down to what they feel is needed over the next five to 10 years, based on the direction of education,” McClelland said.

However, McClelland admits that no matter how pressing some issues may be, it will go hand in hand with what funding can be obtained and will be determined strictly by the money available.

“My side of things does not have anything to do with the eligible financing. We, like many schools, rely on state-aided funding. If we do not get that funding, we will probably have to do this work on a year-by-year basis and budget the best way we can,” he said.

“What we have here works and meets our needs, but it is not the ultimate goal.”

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today