Public Invited to Share Solutions for P-O Jr. High School Building

PHILIPSBURG – Economic development consultants will be available on Nov. 3 at North Lincoln Hill Elementary to hear from the public on potential re-use options for the Philipsburg-Osceola Junior High School. 

This roundtable will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. in the board room at North Lincoln Hill. This portion of the study will evaluate what is legally permissible, physically possible, financially feasible, and what produces the maximum economic benefit for the community.

This session will provide the public with the opportunity to offer their ideas for the highest and best reuse of the building.  Those ideas will be analyzed and prioritized based on current and projected market conditions. 

Those who are unable to attend may email ideas to communitycomments@pomounties.org until Nov. 10. 

This public roundtable will be facilitated by Fourth Economy Consulting, a national economic development solutions provider that specializes in strategic planning, community assessments and organization building.  Fourth Economy has helped numerous governmental and non-profit organizations find redevelopment solutions for their communities. 

This step occurs as the Philipsburg-Osceola Area School District gets closer to completing the design of its middle school consolidation project. The current 5-6 North Lincoln Hill Elementary building will be converted to a 5-8 middle school. The district is planning a spring 2012 ground-breaking. 

When the middle school is complete, the aging Junior High School will no longer be utilized by the school district. The purpose of the Nov. 3 public roundtable is to begin to work together with the community to develop a solution for the building.

To learn more about the consolidation project, visit www.pomounties.org/building. To learn more about Fourth Economy, visit fourtheconomy.com.