Wooster school board approves master facilities plan, looks to continue revising details
WOOSTER – Members of the Wooster Board of Education approved the master facilities plan and contract with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission on Tuesday night.
Prior to the vote, several members of the audience and community voiced opinions in support of amending the plan to keep Cornerstone Elementary School as a part of the Wooster City School District.
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Although the plan was approved, Superintendent Gabe Tudor explained that it can continue to be changed and the vote only locks in the co-funding amount from the OFCC so the district can move forward to the next steps.
Voices in favor of keeping Cornerstone speak up
Members of the Cornerstone Preservation Group sent in a letter to the board that was read by Assistant Superintendent Brian Madigan. The letter raised concerns with the current community growth and student enrollment projections that were used as part of the master plan.
One community member, Brigid O’Connor, voiced her concerns with the status of the master plan, urging the board to not vote yet so further discussion could be had regarding the estimated costs for the plan.
Questions of restoration costs and evaluations were raised by community members Eric Astrachan and Connie Storck. Astrachan claimed two architecture firms gave different answers when consulted on the topic in 1996, so he feels the district should consider getting another opinion.
“The architects involved to date are not renovation specialists as it's clear from their statements and their portfolio,” Astrachan said. “We urge the school board to engage (with a) firm that specializes in renovation, in which would consider all state, federal and other funding options.”
Board approves plan with several steps to come
With the OFCC funding locked in by the board approval, Tudor said the board can now take the next steps of finalizing the plan by looking to the community for approval.
Tudor said the district has 13 months to secure its portion of the funding for the project by getting community approval of the plan through the passage of a levy.
Due to remaining questions surrounding the plan and current economic status, Tudor said he and District Treasurer Amy Welty were advising the board to not put a levy on the November ballot.
“I think the reality is right now we're not really that far along in this project,” Tudor said. “We know that, probably regardless of when and what you decide to put on the ballot at some point, it's many years before we actually enter and get to see that.”
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Other important things from the meeting
The board approved phase one of contract with Gardiner for renovations to the HVAC system at Edgewood Middle School. Tudor explained that some of the electrical work will begin this summer with most of the classrooms projected to be completed during the summer of 2023.
Tudor shared an update on the status of bus drivers for the upcoming school year saying that several candidates have been interviewed and he hopes to share more updates at future board meetings.
Questions regarding funding promised from Gov. Mike DeWine for school safety were raised by board member Danielle Schantz, which Tudor shared there was not much information out yet.
Reach Rachel Karas at rkaras@gannett.com
On Twitter: @RachelKaras3
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Wooster schools master facilities plan approved by board
