Tuesday, March 5th, 2019
Residents invited to provide input on Celina school plan
By Tom Stankard
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
Celina Primary School students exit the building Monday afternoon. The school could be demolished as part of district officials' proposed building project.
CELINA - Celina City Schools officials have prepared seven new building plans and invite residents to offer input at a public meeting next month.
Officials based the plans drafted by Fanning-Howey Associates, Celina, on more than 1,400 survey respondents. The plans include demolishing and abating the primary, elementary and middle schools and the education complex.
"A lot of people said they saw the need to replace them," superintendent Ken Schmiesing told the newspaper.
Building plans take into account district enrollment, which has dropped from more than 3,000 in 2002 to just over 2,500 this school year, Schmiesing noted. By 2028, enrollment is expected to hover close to the same figure, according to district information. Final costs and building sizes have not been finalized.
The first plan calls for constructing a new elementary building for grades preschool-4, as well as a roughly 96,541-square-foot addition to the high school and a roughly 26,830-square-foot addition to the intermediate school for grades 5-8. Part of this plan involves abating and demolishing the primary, elementary, middle and education complex facilities. This is estimated to cost $79.4 million, with a roughly $44.6 million local share. The rest would come from state funding.
Plan No. 2 includes constructing a new elementary school building for grades preschool-4 and a new high school. Also included is a roughly 26,830-square-foot addition to the intermediate school to house grades 5-8. With this plan, the primary, elementary, school and high schools and ed complex would be abated and demolished. This plan is estimated to cost $76.3 million, with a roughly $42.9 million local share.
The third plan would cost about $82.4 million, with a roughly $46.3 million local share. It calls for building a new elementary school for grades preschool-3, a new high school and adding 48,317 square feet to the intermediate school for grades 4-8. The primary, elementary, middle and high school and education complex would be abated and demolished.
Plan No. 4 involves building a new elementary school for grades preschool-3, constructing a 96,541-square-foot addition to the high school and a 48,317-square-foot addition to the intermediate school for grades 4-8. The primary, elementary, middle and high schools and education complex would also be abated and demolished. This plan would cost about $78.1 million, with a roughly $43.9 million local share.
For the fifth plan, a new middle and high school building would be constructed for grades 7-12 and a 77,149-square-foot addition would be added to the intermediate school for grades preschool-6. Also in the plan, the primary, elementary, middle and high schools would be abated and demolished. The plan is estimated to cost $76.2 million, with a roughly $42.7 million local share.
The high school would be renovated and receive a 149,364-square-foot addition for grades 7-12 in the sixth plan, which is estimated to cost $75.1 million, with a roughly $42.8 million local share. It also calls for a 77,149-square-foot addition to the intermediate school for grades preschool-6. The primary, elementary, middle and high schools and education complex would be abated and demolished.
In the seventh plan, a new 95,228-square-foot building would be constructed for either grades preschool-3 or grades preschool-4. The high school would be renovated with a 149,364-square-foot addition. The building would house grades 7-12. The intermediate school also would be renovated for either grades 4-6 or grades 5-6. The cost would be about $79.4 million, with a roughly $46.6 million local share.
School officials will narrow down the choices before seeking a bond issue from voters during the primary election on March 10, 2020, Schmiesing said.
District officials encourage residents to attend and provide input at the informational meeting at 6:30 p.m. April 3 in the high school cafeteria. Representatives from Fanning-Howey will lead discussions about the different proposals.
"Your input is valuable, meaningful and appreciated," Schmiesing said.
