School board reviews its building options

    After reviewing options for either building a new middle school or renovating an existing building, the USD 443 Board of Education decided it needed more time to study the possibilities.
    And although the board did not set a timeline for a bond issue election, the members did not seem inclined to call for a fall election.
    "I think it's obvious that January's our date," President Dan Reichenborn said during a work session Thursday. "I don't think anything else will work."
    The board is considering four options to address overcrowding at Dodge City Middle School: Building a new middle school; expanding and renovating the existing school; remodeling Hennessey Hall, located on the grounds of the St. Mary Complex; or remodeling Comanche Intermediate Center. Each option contemplates keeping the current middle school open as well.
    Preliminary cost estimates range from $13.83 million for renovating Comanche Intermediate Center to $37.58 million for building a new middle school, according to the architectural firm GossenLivingston.
    GossenLivingston's vice president, Tom P. Montgomery, said the board should start by thinking about the middle school's programs and needs, instead of beginning with the building.
    "If you start with the building, you're going to compromise the programs to fit the building," he said.
    The board is exploring its options after a recent community survey showed that most participants would favor renovating an existing building instead of building a new school.
    After reviewing the options, board member Brian Winter said he liked the idea of renovating Hennessey Hall, partly because of the cost and partly because the idea would appeal to voters.
    "I like Hennessey because I think you'll have an emotional grab on the voters," he said. "It's an empty building, and people want it."
    But board member Ethel Peterson said she was concerned about traffic and parking around Hennessey Hall.
    Another member, Chris Rostetter, said she favored either building a new middle school or remodeling the current one.
    The board also discussed when it should call for a bond issue election but did not make a decision.
    There are four possibilities: Scheduling the election for September, waiting until the general election in November, waiting until January 2009 or holding off until next April. A bond issue election cannot be conducted within 60 days before or after a general election.
    If the board decides on a September vote, it would have to determine the scope of the project, call for the election and seek approval from the state Department of Education before June 13. The first election notice would be published July 31.
    Scheduling the vote to coincide with the November election would give the district until Oct. 9 to complete the preliminary steps and publish the first public notice. A Jan. 27 election would give the district until Jan. 1 to finish those steps.
    Superintendent Alan Cunningham said research showed that scheduling a bond issue election for November would not be a good idea.
    And Reichenborn said a September date would not give the board enough time to decide on the scope of the project and educate the public.
    "It's terrible to try and rush into things," he said.
     In other business, the board voted 5-2 to uphold the district's decision not to renew the teaching contract for Gerald Scovel, who taught art and video production at Dodge City Middle School.
    The vote came after a hearing, which was conducted during a closed session since it dealt with non-elected personnel and issues protected by attorney-client privilege.

Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408-9917 or e-mail him at eric.swanson@dodgeglobe.com.