Potential Building Projects
by David Ackerman, Superintendent
Recently members of the Central Lyon school board met with representatives of Kid’s Club and the city of Rock Rapids concerning the possibility of adding a Kid’s Club daycare facility onto the current Central Lyon elementary building. The idea of having a one stop location for parents, and increasing the size of the current daycare facility in conjunction with potential Central Lyon expansion seemed to hold many possibilities and could be advantageous to all the parties concerned. An architectural firm was brought in to study the existing buildings, hear the needs of each group, and to come up with solutions which might benefit all parties. This “design in a day” process was extensive but very beneficial.
Ultimately the design team presented several options, but several obstacles stood in the way of the project, including the cost of building a similar type of building on the school grounds. This was a necessity due to the insurance ratings of all buildings on the Central Lyon campus would be affected on the insurance coverage if a lesser type of building were constructed other than the brick and mortar type construction. Many avenues were discussed and studied, but it was general consensus that the district and Kid’s Club would not be able to make the project work. In the end, this was a good process for all parties, even though it did not result in an onsite daycare on the school site. Each of the entities was able to more precisely identify key needs within the organization, and begin to take steps in that direction, albeit independent of each other.
At the regular December school board meeting, the board discussed the district’s needs for increased classroom space due to increasing numbers in the elementary. Enrollment in the district is rather unique this year. Once again the district increased in enrollment of actual students in the seats, particularly in the elementary, although the certified count is actually down slightly. This is due to fewer open enrolled out students than in the past. While we have been increasing at the elementary level, the high school is decreasing due to some of the smallest classes Central Lyon has ever had moving through at this time. Two years ago the high school had 215 students, last year 190, this year 178, and in two years it will likely dip below 150 before beginning to take an upturn. Below is a link to the district’s current enrollment summary.
Through the design in a day process, the architects identified that there are several existing classrooms that are being used in other ways that could be reclaimed as usable classroom space. As one architect stated, “the cheapest classroom space to acquire is classroom space you already have.” The district will look to move the existing ICN room from the 5th grade wing to a computer lab in the high school. In addition the board is studying adding space on the south end of the multipurpose room for table storage and supply storage. This would open the corner “table room” which is prime classroom space. A modern loading dock will likely be part of the storage room project as currently large semi-trailer trucks struggle to back in to our narrow loading area. Increased food storage for the hot lunch program would also be an advantage to this potential project.
The board will also be looking at several other long term potential projects. Currently the central office and board room occupy two former classrooms. A study of office space will take place and again several options will be examined. Also, the current mezzanine is being examined. Its use as a wrestling room has encountered several issues, some of which are safety concerns. A separate facility in a different location will be examined when the board meets with the architects.
I wish to be very clear that all of these projects are relatively small construction projects and could quite likely be budgeted into the district budget without pursuing a bond issue. The current state of the district facilities is excellent and we wish to continue that practice.
Click on the link below to view some conceptual drawings of the potential projects that the district is considering.
