The committee, comprised of a cross-section of Monroe residents, made its recommendations during a presentation at Monday’s school board meeting. The board did not take action on the recommendations or entertain any questions from the audience following the presentation.
Board President Tom Leeds said any actions would be taken at a future school board meeting.
“We knew someday we would need new facilities after the fiscal emergency,” said Jim Barnes, chair of the school facilities advisory committee.
The committee held several community listening sessions and surveys were conducted during the past several months. Barnes reviewed the information and noted the former LMHS and stadium needs to be demolished as soon as possible “as the committee verified the facility is not a viable option to do deal with the future growth of the district.”
Of the three options considered by the facilities committee — building a new high school, middle school or elementary school — were somewhat equally supported from the survey, he said. However, the committee determined that with the possibility of receiving more than 30 percent of funding from the Ohio School Facilities Commission as early as 2017, that the new middle school would be the best option to address the district’s future enrollment growth and needs.
In addition to having additional classrooms and spaces to address projected growth, they also recommended a larger auditorium be build to support the entire school district as well as building an additional access drive to the main school campus.
“Close to 60 percent of those surveyed wanted something done and wanted to see all of the school buildings located on one campus,” Barnes said.
“We worked hard to reach a consensus,” he said. “Now we need to get updated cost projections for demolition, abatement and new construction.”
Barnes said the committee understands and respects the need for the district to renew the five-year emergency levy by November 2017 before moving on with any new construction. Once that levy renewal has been completed, the committee is recommending that new construction begin as soon as possible, he said.
Last month, the projected cost of a new middle school was estimated at $24.4 million, which includes the portion of state funding and the demolition of the former LMHS.
The district has experienced one of the greatest increases in student enrollment in the state, with the exception of charter schools. District officials said that the student population jumped up 7 percent between the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years. Superintendent Phil Cagwin said the district’s enrollment was up by about 2.5 percent over the last year. The state is projecting the district to have an enrollment of 2,943 students in the next 10 years.
Barnes praised the assistance from city officials and told the board there were several hundred building sites being planned in the city.
“Whatever option we go with, we have to communicate with the community to share the reasoning for this recommendation,” Cagwin said.
Board member Brett Guido asked Barnes if the committee looked at expanding the current building to add more classrooms.
George Long, the district’s business manager, said four to eight classrooms could be added to the current facility to meet immediate and some future needs, but that it might be more sensible to build a new building rather than a very large addition.
As for the future of the current primary school building, Cagwin said the recommendation from the facilities advisory team was to discontinue use of the building once the new building is online.
“While there would be funding available from OFSC to help with the demolition of the building, final disposition of the building has not yet been determined,” he said in an email response. “The board has not yet decided what they believe the best use of the property would be. It is already a part of the 37-acre parcel that has the stadium and old high school.”
There was little support to sell or give the former Lemon Monroe High School to a local church, according to survey results.
The former high school, which is in a state of disrepair, and was the focus of controversy last year when the board considered selling it for $1 to a local church. The church had planned to tear down part of the building and make use of a classroom wing, gymnasium and 900-seat auditorium.
The board eventually opted not to sell to the church.
Kristie McElfresh, a Macready Avenue resident, said the facilities committee “made a concerted effort to take into consideration all of the voices in the community in making its recommendation.”
McElfresh, who was a part of a citizens group called Since 1871 that opposed the propose sale of LMHS to a local church last fall, said, “the committee looked for the best option to serve the students and district in the best way possible and made its decision on the needs of community moving forward.”
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