With temperatures below freezing on Jan. 15, over 40 Wautoma and Redgranite residents braved the elements to attend the first Wautoma Area School District Community Impact Committee Meeting at Riverview Elementary School.
The WASD Board of Education created the ad hoc Community Impact Committee (CIC) in response to the failed April 2023 Elementary School Referendum in order to gather input and receive feedback from stakeholders, including senior citizens, community members, parents, alumni, staff members, and elected officials.
The Board selected individuals with diverse backgrounds with the purpose to have the members learn more about the current state of the school facilities; collaborate with district personnel, architects, and other stakeholders to examine and provide feedback and considerations related to facility improvement projects; and ensure that district facilities align with the latest educational standards, safety regulations, and technology advancements. The members are being tasked to serve as an advisory committee in order to assist with recommendations to provide to the Board regarding future facility planning.
During the first CIC meeting, residents heard from WASD Board President Nicole Lehr; District Administrator Jewel Mucklin; Riverview Elementary Principal Alex Kitchner; Plunkett Raysich Architect, LLP Principal Architect, Educational Planner Devin Kack; Plunkett Raysich Architect, LLP Director of Education Strategy Melissa Thompson; and CG Schmidt Senior Project Manager Justin Johnson.
At the start of the meeting, committee members were given the opportunity to provide reasons why they thought the April 2023 referendum did not pass. As community members voiced their opinions, common themes were found, including: revenue sources; tax increase; other local projects currently underway; physical location potential new site; voter disengagement or participation; inflation rates; and nostalgia related to current site.
In order to provide the committee with the entire picture on how the district got to where they are currently, Johnson and Mucklin walked the group through the entire April 2023 referendum process.
Mucklin explained to the committee that the entire process really began during the 2021 annual Board of Education Building Tours. Following the tour, the Board felt in order to get a better understanding of the needs at Riverview, a facility study needed to take place.
Johnson stated the Riverview Facility Study was conducted by CG Schmidt and PRA in the winter of 2022. The study took a deep dive into looking at the educational and physical needs of the building, while also speaking with teachers, staff, and administration regarding what they believed was necessary to meet the needs of 21st Century education. Using this information, PRA created a facility assessment of work that needed to be completed over 5, 10 and 15 years, which CG Schmidt put a cost to and eventually presented to the Board in the spring of 2022.
According to Mucklin, Riverview is right next to the White River Flood Plain and is completely landlocked on 6.7 acres. The district tries very hard to keep well-maintained buildings, however, at Riverview there is flooding in a number of classrooms; the exterior spaces are well-beyond the life capacity; the school is on a slope so the playground gets very icy and injuries occur; and the gym floors should have been replaced five to 10 years ago. Mucklin added the CIC will be taking a tour of Riverview at their February meeting to see all of the issues within the building.
Kitchner also spoke to the committee regarding Riverview’s educational needs and how the school is currently “bursting at the seams”. He provided photos and explanations of overcrowded classrooms; the need for a performance space as the 4K Winter Program is held in the gym and physical education classes have to be canceled for at least two days when this occurs; students work in groups on the floor and on small desks; small group interventions are held in closets in order to provide individualized services; and the cafeteria is converted multiple times a day from a cafeteria to gym. Mucklin added that on some days the cafeteria can be converted up to six times with the custodians taking 45 minutes to 1 hour per day to make this happen each time.
Understanding the issues with the building and needs for students and staff, the Board decided they would ask the community their opinions on two options: renovate the current Riverview Elementary School for $33.4 Million or build a new school and raze the old building to create a natural site for $41.3 Million.
After the survey results came in favor for a new building, the Board chose to move forward with a referendum question on the ballot in April 2023. After the referendum failed even with very favorable results from the survey, the district is coming back to the community to gather input as to whether they are going in the right direction.
Looking back at the failed referendum and hearing from the community, Lehr explained the Board took a closer look at Parkside. She stated, even though Parkside was initially built to be added on to, it was only for a few classrooms here and there, not six more grade levels.
Lehr added the Board also looked at the option to add a second building on to the Parkside site, with PRA providing a layout of what that could look like. She shared with the committee how the parent traffic and bus traffic flow would work; however, the soccer fields and youth fields would have to be removed for parking and, at this time, 16th Avenue has no sidewalks to the school.
Lehr went on to speak about the Taplin Drive site and what it could offer, stating the layout provided a dedicated parent loop, bus loop, staff parking, playground space, and the flexibility to expand. PRA also gave the CIC a conceptual rendering of what the potential two-story building could look like.
By moving forward with a new building located at either Taplin Drive or Parkside, the Board understands the current Riverview site is not up to par for students. By asking the community to help fund a new school, the referendum question would also entail razing the old elementary school building and returning it to its natural state, according to Lehr. “We do not want another nursing home situation,” she said.
The CIC also heard how the Board is looking deeper at the needs for the entire district and equitability at each of the schools. Discussions have been raised regarding if Riverview is getting a new building with a secure entry sequence, this same sequence needs to be at all of the buildings. Understanding safety and security of our schools is top priority, PRA has visited Redgranite, Parkside, and Wautoma High School to see what type of secure entrances they could create.
Mucklin explained the newest building in the district is Parkside and is currently 30 years old. She added there are needs throughout the district that need to be addressed and the Board and administration wants to prioritize those needs as it does impact taxpayers. With wings in the current Riverview Elementary built in the 1960 that are still being utilized today, there isn’t enough money in the General Fund to do everything we need to do, which is why a referendum is needed. Additionally, it is only a matter of time that parts for existing equipment will no longer be available. Mucklin said currently the district spends $1 million on maintenance and upkeep of the district buildings on a yearly basis.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the committee members were given an opportunity to write down their thoughts from the presentation as well as questions they would like answered in the future. The next meeting of the WASD Community Impact Committee will be held on February 19 in the Riverview Elementary School Gymnasium.