CLEARFIELD – A potential elementary school building project topped discussion at Monday night’s Clearfield school board meeting.
Superintendent Terry Struble presented an agreement with HHSDR Inc. to serve as architects for the proposed renovation and addition project.
Struble explained both the reasoning and estimated costs for the proposed project, saying in recent years, the administration has realized there’s a need for additional space in certain areas of the building.
He said the school’s need for space isn’t due to increased student enrollment, but because student needs have increased and now require additional space for faculty and staff to best meet those needs.
Currently Struble said the district wants to look at connecting two existing wings of the building, which would allow administrators to group certain student programming/services together and shorten student travel patterns.
Struble said there are also some logistic and safety issues that need addressed like keeping grades together instead of spread out; adding an adult restroom for visitors and a second elevator; and keeping visitors out of classroom areas.
For example, they would like to move the school’s guidance office so that it’s located at the front of the building with conference space available for guidance staff to meet with parents.
This is nowhere near a final design or blueprint, Struble said, noting that the agreement, if approved, would just give the administration permission to explore such things as a project scope and get a better estimate of costs.
Struble estimated the proposed renovation and addition project would be around $17.5 to $18.5 million.
The board will consider the agreement for HHSDR to serve as the project’s architects at next week’s voting meeting.