Renovate or reconstruct?

HURON — Huron's school board discussed possible changes to district facilities at its recent board meeting. Officials and the public gathered for the meeting, listening to a presentation from the Architectural Vision Group, a Cleveland-based firm. The district is contracting with this firm to put together a full analysis of its buildings to formulate a facilities master plan. Potentially, the intent could be to either reconstruct or renovate the district's aging school buildings. The group reviewed each building's current conditions and shared what it would cost to either reconstruct or renovate each building to meet state standards. Analysis Proposals put forth by Architectural Vision Group stated that suggested renovations would last for about 25 to 30 years. When considering the option to renovate, the architecture group reviewed 23 building features and amenities for each district facility — think things like roofing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning and furniture. The group estimated costs to renovate each feature for school. Architectural Vision Group used Huron High School during its presentation to explain its analysis process. The group: • Shared a general description of the school • Gave details of each building feature • Reviewed more specific descriptions of each feature • Offered recommendations on how to improve each feature • Provided estimated costs of each recommendation In addition to the renovation analysis, the architecture group also performed a study on the replacement cost of all three buildings: Woodlands Elementary, McCormick Junior High and Huron High School. The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission recommends replacing facilities if the renovation cost reaches 66% of what it would cost to construct a new building of the same size. What are the options, cost estimates? After sharing the costs and recommendations for each building, the group compared the costs they came up with for each construction and renovation option. All numbers are estimates and the cost of the project depends on what the district decides to renovate, demolish or construct. District superintendent James Tatman said that if any buildings do end up closing, a community or private group could possibly inhabit that building and prevent it from being demolished. Here are some of the possibilities the architecture group discussed at the meeting: Option No. 1 — Renovate existing buildings The architectural group compared the estimated costs of renovating and reconstructing the district's three schools, Woodlands Elementary, McCormick Junior High and Huron High School. If the district decides to take all renovation recommendations for each building, here are estimates on what it would cost: • Woodlands Elementary: About $26.3 million • McCormick Junior High: About $22.2 million • Huron High School: About $30.8 million The total for all three schools would be about $79.4 million. Option No. 2 — Build three new schools To build a new elementary school the same size, the district would spend about $28.9 million, about $21.6 million on a new middle school and about $35.5 million on a new high school. If all three schools were to be rebuilt, the district would spend just over $86 million. The architecture group also shared the cost of the demolition of each current building: • Woodlands Elementary: About $832,600 • McCormick Junior High: About $689,600 • Huron High School: About $1.5 million The total the district would spend on demolition would be about $3 million. Option No. 3 — Build one new pre-K through 12th-grade school To build this new school, the district would spend: • About $71.6 million on construction • An additional approximately $3 million on the demolition of the three current school buildings Option No. 4 — Build pre-K through 5th grade and 6th through 12th grade schools Here are the estimated costs to build two new schools: • Pre-K to 5th-grade school: About $25.5 million • 6th through 12th-grade school: About $48 million Adding in the estimated costs of demolishing the current schools, this option would cost an estimated total of about $76.6 million. Option No. 5 — Renovate Woodlands Elementary and construct new 6th through 12th grade school Here are the estimates for this option: • About $26.4 million to renovate Woodlands Elementary • About $48 million to build a 6th through 12th-grade school Factoring in demolition costs, the total for this option would be about $76.6 million. Up next When Architectural Vision Group presented its findings during the meeting, there was a full audience comprised of school officials and community members. The board encouraged the audience to come to the next scheduled meeting and others following so input on this project could be heard. "I believe our goal as a board and as a school district is to involve the community as much as possible," board president Jody Halter-Mast said. The next meeting was originally scheduled for Feb. 26, but has now been moved up to 6 p.m. on Feb. 12. This meeting will be a work session for another presentation from a financing consultant on funding structure options. The board has multiple meetings planned in March. Three special meetings will take place to discuss how to engage the community. Meetings will be hosted at 6 p.m. on March 7 and March 11, along with a 9 a.m. meeting on March 9. The meetings will take place in the high school. If the crowd is large, they will be moved to the cafeteria. "The March special meetings are to be interactive with the community in attendance," Tatman said. "The others are more formal but the board is allowing community members to ask questions for clarification and understanding of (the) presenters topic." To prepare for their involvement, community members can review Architectural Vision Group's facility assessment on the district website under "District Facilities." The assessment gives more information on what was assessed, recommendations and costs.