Proposed renovations to a kitchen and lunch area at Washington Community High School could become much more than just a place to feed students, according to some school board members.
Various ideas were presented Monday night at the District 308 school board meeting. Informal class rooms, adult classes, areas for offices and even a green house were suggested for the renovated areas.
“That space can be a lot more than a than just a commons area or a lunch room. It can be a true community multi-purpose center,” said board member Roger Hickman. “The sky’s the limit. It’s endless … It’s a lot of square feet,”
Board president Jim Gerkin asked for the renovation/construction plan to be placed on the board’s agenda during upcoming meetings so members can come to a final decision whether to move forward with the project.
“I asked that we keep this in the forefront,” Gerkin said. “I wanted to give people the opportunity to express any concerns or ideas.”
During a board meeting in October, BLDD Architects were instructed to draw up a concept with a price tag up to $8 million dollars. Last April, voters stopped an $18.4 referendum.
Board members set February as a tentative target date to determine a plan. They will also tackle the topic at their annual planning session on Jan. 23.
At the meeting, superintendent Dr. Jim Dunnan also gave an update for the health/life/safety repairs at the high school totaling $4.3 millions.
Board members approved $3.9 million in bonds to pay for state-required work.
Dunnan said the bulk of repairs will be covered with the $3.9 million in bonds. However, low bids made by contractors could cover the additional work needed, he said.
The repairs are scheduled to start June 3, right when school goes on summer break, he said.
“It’s a pretty aggressive schedule, but it’s very doable,” Dunnan said.
In total, about 50 to 55 days of actual work will take place during the summer. The project would finish around Aug. 12, he said. Dunnan added that they still plan to move summer school to District 51 or 52.
“We’ve yet to determine which one we will move it to,” he said.
According to Dunnan, Torry Gym will still be in use during this time because the majority of repairs will be to the exterior, lobby and locker rooms. About 90 percent of windows in the building will also be replaced.
