School Facilities Get Average Grades

WAITSBURG -- The Waitsburg School District fa- cilities were assessed recently and given average marks across the board in the school district study and survey.

The study and survey was funded by the Office of Su- perintendant of Public Instruction and conducted by Design West, Waitsburg Su- perintendent and Elementary Principal Carol Clarke said.

The Waitsburg School Board discussed the school district study and survey last Wednesday evening, June 13.

"There was a long list of different needs for the district and really what it boiled down to was that we're aware that there are some things we're going to need to address," school board Chairman Ross Hamann said. "This survey will help decide what updates are the highest priority and how we will begin paying for them."

The office funds a study and survey every six years and the last one conducted in the Waitsburg School District was in 1999, Clarke said.

"So it's been quite a num- ber of years since we've done this," Clarke added. "The purpose of the study and sur- vey is to demonstrate to your community that you are looking carefully at your facilities and planning for the future."

Clarke added that Design West came in and made a long list of needs for the district and while the district is not looking at building right now, they are trying to plan for the future.

The district buildings were each assessed and given an adjusted and unadjusted score to indicate the buildings' con- ditions.

"Your school buildings, although well maintained, are aging," Brandon Wilm of Design West said in the letter to the district. "Relatively low physical condition assessment scores are to be expected when buildings are in need of modernization due to age."

Preston Hall is having set- tling issues, Clarke said, and there could be some pieces of concrete falling because of it. But, there are no significant improvements that need to be made to the facilities now, ac- cording to the study.

The Design West study suggested the district make modernizations to the build- ings to make them sustainable over a 30-year period.

The buildings have been updated in the last 30 years, Clarke said, so they are not eligible for state funding for any of these projects.

Along with the analysis of the current facilities in the district, Design West offered education enhancement possibilities through facility im- provements, Clarke said.

"We were told to dream," Clarke said. "So we did."

If all of their dream modernizations and facility up- dates were scheduled, the projects together would cost an estimated $11.5 million, Clarke said. She added that this cost is not something the district can afford at this time and any updates that will be scheduled will be planned over a very long term.

Hamann said the focus needs to be narrowed to a reasonable number of items.

"We will have to decide the top 10 or top five things we need to do," Hamann said.

Board Member Marilyn Johnson said she believes the board will need community input, but she is concerned about receiving too much in- put that could slow down the decision-making process.

Hamann agreed and said the board will need to find the right mix of input in order to be successful when the board begins to look at bonds. Johnson and Hamann agreed that local support will be very important to the success of the improvements.

"My first reaction is that safety is the most important thing," Johnson said. "I think we need to start with the updates that will improve safety for our students."

Clarke said with proper planning some of these improvements can be started in the next two or three years.

"We're not looking to start a project right now," Clarke said. "We're just looking at what could be done."