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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (July 5, 2001)
Page 12 The INDEPENDENT, -^trfy 7, BOOT. Facilities Committee recommends replacing all existing buildings From page 1 tween the engineers’ report and questionnaire responses, it became clear that the com mittee’s major focus would have to be student safety. Numerous options were ex plored using a projected total student body of 950 students with 400 (currently 350) K-5 grade students; 250 (currently 204) 6-8 grade students; and 300 (currently 246) high school students. Three separate facilities lo cated close together within the community was viewed as the most advantageous way to meet the future needs of the district. Educational program ming needs included providing space for student record keep ing, health (nurse) rooms, con ference rooms, an expanded library/media center, and en hanced science, music, art, shop, and athletic programs. Repairs would also require bond issue After reviewing estimates for repairs that would be neces sary to bring district buildings up to current code for electri cal, mechanical and plumbing, and to provide for seismic (earthquake) safety, the com mittee found that the cost was nearly as much as would be re quired for new construction — without additional space, ex panded educational program opportunities or improved ath letic facilities. the community. Faced with this problem they re-examined the basic assumptions. Recognizing that sharing re sources provides the most effi- Aging schools built 1917 to 1950 The school facilities cur rently in use in the Vernonia School District are as fol lows: Mist Grade School, 4,800 sq. ft., built in 1917 and re modeled in 1980. Mist Gym was also built in 1917. Lincoln Grade School, 10,208 sq. ft., built in 1926. Modular classrooms, 1,680 sq. ft., installed in 1985. Washington Grade School, 56,068 sq. ft., includes cafe- teria/kitchen used by stu dents from all sites (except Mist), built in 1930. Modular classrooms, 2,600 sq. ft., in stalled in 1996. Vernonia High School, 40,950 sq. ft., and a shop building of 7,500 sq. ft, both built in 1950. Grandstand built in 1961, 3,000 sq. ft. Modular classrooms installed in 1996, 3,200 sq. ft. The facilities committee recommended that district- owned property at Mist and Lincoln Schools be sold to help offset the cost of new construction. Mist School is situated on 3.08 acres near the intersection of Hwy. 47 and Hwy. 202. The Lincoln School site contains 2.63 acres in a residential area of Vernonia. Repair costs for WGS were estimated at $88 per square foot, and for the high school at $50 per square foot or a total of $5,590,000. The construction cost of new facilities was esti mated at $130 per square foot. All options for building three separate facilities exceeded the amount the committee had agreed would be acceptable to cient use of both facilities and finances, the committee rec ommended a cost-efficient de sign concept that would allow functions common to all stu dents — libraries, cafeteria, ad ministration, etc. — to be cen tralized, and would also sup ports sound educational pro gramming practices. Söderström told the board that a facility could be con structed with its major func tions in a hub, and with sur rounding “pods” that contained instructional areas for each grade level. With this type of design, the school campus could remain in the heart of Vernonia, a focus of communi ty activity. The preliminary budget pre sented by Söderström includes a large central facility contain ing a media center with class area, a commons/lobby, cafe- teria/food preparation area, stage, band and choir rooms with practice rooms, wrestling area, technology classrooms, metals/mechanics shop and administration area. This facili ty would also house high school classroom space and a large gym. Connected to the central facility, and separated by it, would be instructional ar eas for grades K-5 and 6-8, each with their own smaller gyms and computer labs. Recommendations to school board The committee’s recom mendations to the board in cludes the following elements: • Utilize the current WGS/ VHS property, do not purchase additional land. • Replace the existing build Krahn sworn in to 47J Board, policy exceptioQ ok’d The Vernonia School District Board of Directors had a full agenda at their June 28 special meeting, with budget adoption, long-range facilities plan (See page 1.), exchange student ex ception, and approval of ad ministrative salaries. Also on the agenda was the swearing in of new directors, but only one of two new directors, Jim Krahn, took the oath of office. Rick Hobart, the other newly elected director, did not attend the meeting. In response to a request made at a prior meeting by Don Skinner, the board ap proved an exception to district policy that limits the number of exchange students to six. Six students have been approved for next year, and Skinner’s re quest was to add a German girl who received a Congress-Bun destag Scholarship. This pres tigious program was set up jointly by the United States and German governments follow ing WWII. Woody Buxton, a Vernonia student, spent the 2000-2001 school year in Ger- Fire season rules are available from Fire district, Forestry offices From page 1 Forest users may obtain in formation about forest lands in the local area and about public fire restrictions by calling the Columbia City office at 503- 397-2636, or the Astoria office at 503-325-5451. Information is available 24 hours a day. Of fice hours are Monday through Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A recording provides informa tion after office hours. Rural fire protection districts in northwest Oregon coordi nate their regulations with the state, once burn season is de clared. For specific informa tion, call the appropriate fire LOW CO$T CAR LOANS Vernonia Federal Credit Union 5 0 3 -4 2 9 -8 0 3 1 many with the program. He is the second Vernonia student selected for the program. Over the last several months, the board has had several workshops on commu nications strategy in the dis trict. This month they received a proposal for a communica tions audit conducted by the Oregon School Boards Associ ation. The proposal includes three major functions: First, OSBA analyzes the district’s current internal and external, formal and informal communi cations. Second, a series of focus groups is conducted to Turn your Stash into Cash district: Vernonia, 503-429-8252 Mist-B’feld, 503-755-2710 Tri-City, 503-324-6262 Elsie-Vinemaple, Chief Mike Wammick, 503-755-2021 Ö determine priorities for improv ing communication. The final element would be the develop ment of a comprehensive two- year communication plan for the district with recommenda tions for implementation. The board will consider the propos al at the July 12 meeting. The board approved the 2001-2002 budget after mak ing adjustments to confidential and supervisory employee salaries necessary to accom modate last-minute changes. The next board meeting will be July 12 at 8:00 p.m. in the district offfice. n s INDEPENDENT ACTION EDS The first 10 words $4.50. Then just 100/word. Call 4 2 9 -9 4 1 0 VERNONIAINN FULL SIZE, IN ROOM HOT TUBS $$o 00 CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST FOR RESERVATIONS CALL 1-800-354-9494 / 503-429-4006 W tr Just one block off scenic Nehalem River Hwy. (Oregon 47) O il ALL Shrubs Annuals & Perennials In Bloom Now - Honeysuckle, Shrubs, Lilac Great Selection - Wonderful Atmosphere N ew I teans W eekly - W himsical W eather V anes , S igns , G arden A rt B ird H ouses • B enches • G ift C ertificates GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE 900 MADISON AVE., VERNONIA, OR 97064 Information on bonding ca pacity was obtained from Seat tle Northwest, a firm specializ ing in educational bond con sulting. Current law allows the district to ask for up to 7.95 percent of real market value; for the Vernonia School District that would be a maximum of $29,742,000. The district has no bonded debt at this time. The $14,900,000 bond would require a property tax in crease of about $2.80 per thou sand of assessed value, or $280 for a property valued at $100,000. In addition to con struction and bond costs, the cost of furnishings is included in the total amount requested. The committee’s report is available in the district office for review. July Special RE«. ROOM $45* Queen Beds • Private Bath • Separate Entrance Cable TV • Phones • Handicapped Access District has no outstanding debt F arm w o m a n ' s N ursery Enjoy a quiet weekend with us $55“ ings with 1. A new 61,000 square foot core facility for the high school that allows for sharing functions, including a 10,000 sq. ft. gym, commons, cafeteria, stage and media center. 2. A new 19,000 square foot building for the middle school with an 8,000 square foot gym. 3. A new 24,000 square foot classroom building to be used for grades K - 5 , includ ing a 6,000 square foot gym. • Phase out Lincoln and Mist schools. • Liquidate all excess dis trict real estate and use pro ceeds to offset bond costs. • Place on the November, 2001, general election ballot a bond measure in the amount of $14,900,000 to cover costs re lated to all new construction. The innovative design con cept accomplishes many ob jectives. • Reserves the schools’ place in the core of the com munity. • Allows expansion of the district’s practice of sharing staff between buildings. • Creates cost savings over time with efficient energy use. • Creates options for en hanced educational opportuni ties. • Greatly improves athletic and extracurricular facilities. • Accommodates future ex pansion. Q9 OPEN THURSDAY - SUNDAY, 10 AM - 6 PM 12891 Keasey Road, Vernonia (7 miles out of Vernonia) 503-429-4451 or 503-429-8200
