RO board ID’s options for facilities

The Red Oak School Board is targeting mid-to-late September for a community meeting to update the public on a master facilities plan. 

Alley Poynter Maccietto architect Daric O’Neal attended the regular board meeting last week. O’Neal said with community input meetings wrapped up, there is now a picture of the top scenarios for remodeling the district’s buildings. 

“The public decided on the least attractive option. We discussed that at meeting three. As a result of the sticky dots, the public was least in favor of the scenario in which major renovations and additions would take place at the Red Oak Middle School,” O’Neal said.

O’Neal then outlined the results of public input from meeting number four, and said two scenarios were the top choices from the public. 

“There was public support for a three-campus scenario and a two-campus scenario. The first scenario would put the classes at the existing high school and Inman, with renovations. The second scenario includes those same buildings, but also keeps Washington school in the mix,” O’Neal said. 

At the time of the meeting, the estimated subtotal cost of the projects was $26 million to $52.32 million. The second scenario was an estimated subtotal of $27 million to $55.32 million. 

O’Neal said the two modern classrooms which were put into place at the high school and allowed the students and teachers a learning environment with updated desks, chairs, and other furniture, was very popular among the students and staff who used them. 

‘From a master plan perspective, and an architectural planning perspective, I think this opens some doors to how we can reconfigure some of the existing classrooms with furniture. We can make them active 21st century learning environments without having to tear down walls and completely reconfigure the layout of the existing high school,” O’Neal commented. 

The board also received an update from the financial focus group. O’Neal said at the next community meeting, the group would have projections of how the public’s top choices would impact taxpayers, and what the taxpayers are getting with their money from each scenario.

“The term, ‘may or may not include a gym,’ for example, I don’t feel is good enough at that point. It has to say, you are getting X,Y, and Z, and everybody understands what they’re getting on that,” O’Neal said. 

He added that at the previous meetings, leaders gave sticky dots for the public to pick options they liked or didn’t like. O’Neal said at the upcoming September meeting, they’re considering using a clicking machine for a bit more anonymity. 

“That way, the public isn’t under the pressure of all the green dots on one plan, or seeing everyone selecting a particular plan. We can post some questions about the scenarios, let them click, and get the real-time results right on the screen.”

The September meeting date will be chosen at the next regular board meeting of the school board, which is next Monday, Aug. 22.