Facilities Planning Committee begins setting goals

What will BKW look like in five, 10 or 20 years? Answering that question is the task of the newly formed facilities planning committee.

In January, committee members met to evaluate potential building improvements based on educational needs and to review the resulting financial impact of any proposed improvements. The committee will make recommendations to the Board of Education by fall. Board members will review the recommendations when developing future building project proposals.

The committee — comprised of parents, students, staff, Board members and administrators — created a list of prospective improvements and needs. Some of the items on the list included:
• increasing handicapped accessibility,
• renovating/expanding the middle-high school library,
• creating mobile technology labs,
• purchasing new playground equipment,
• upgrading building security systems,
• accommodating special education programs,
• determining the impact of the community’s use of district facilities,
• addressing facility needs for student physical fitness programs,
• renovating school lunch facilities,
• determining what to do with the former Westerlo Elementary School building,
• and upgrading the high school auditorium, including the stage, stage lighting and electrical equipment.

The group then divided into three subcommittees. The first subcommittee, headed by parent Mary Jane Araldi, will evaluate the future of the former Westerlo Elementary School building.
The second subcommittee, chaired by Middle School Principal Fred Marcil, will determine if sixth-grade classrooms should stay in the middle-high school or be moved to the elementary school to make room for possible expansion of the middle-high library, home and careers and art classes, and special education programs.

Superintendent Steve Schrade will lead the third group, which will review the facilities most immediate needs. Topping the list of potential improvements are providing handicapped accessibility and addressing the results of a building conditions survey that was completed by the district’s architectural firm. The survey concluded that while the fire alarm system in the schools is working, it doesn’t meet current code guidelines. The survey also noted that ventilation and air-quality systems in some older parts of the buildings should be upgraded. And while the district has made progress toward improving handicapped accessibility, some parts of the middle/high school — such as the cafeteria, boys’ locker room and student restrooms — must be brought into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“There are many factors to consider and each affect the other,” Schrade said. “Our goal is to do what is best for the district’s children and the entire school community.”
The facilities planning committee will continue to meet throughout the year. The community is invited to participate. For a list of meeting dates and times, check the BKW Web site at www.bkwschools.org, or call the district office at 872-1293.

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