Turnout good at facilities meeting

 

The Red Oak  Community School District’s first public forum on updating the school system’s facilities drew a crowd of around 100 people, including community leaders and school administrators. 

Superintendent Tom Messinger said the goal of last week’s meeting involves more than just facilities; it is about bringing the community together to address the issues of the district’s students.

Architect Daric O’Neal with Alley Poynter Macchietto, who served as moderator, said among the goals for the project are to have Red Oak become the district of choice for families to enroll their students in, maximize square footage, reduce operating costs and increase pride. 

O’Neal said officials are working to get more members of the public involved in the decision-making process following the failure of an earlier attempt of the renovation project due to lack of public support. 

“You don’t have to be for any type of project,” he told the audience. “You don’t have to be part of a steering committee or a focus group. You can just attend the meetings if you want.” 

Some elements of the proposal are being pushed forward because of an urgent need for repairs. These include problems with the high school boilers and field lighting at the baseball and football field 

He added that nothing else has been decided about the future of the facilities. A study would be done to determine the district’s current deficiencies, safety issues, plumbing and electrical problems and student needs.

“Everything is on the table,” O’Neal said. He also plans to compare the Red Oak School District with others in the area to see how it stacks up.

At future meetings, information will be shared and the public will be polled repeatedly to create a master plan. The plan will include current needs, future options for each facility and a focus on improvements that are needed, rather than simply wanted. 

In the public comment period, one question was whether or not the public could participate in tours of the existing buildings to see the scope of what was needed. O’Neal said that tours would be available. 

Larry Brandstetter voiced concerns about the involvement of school officials at the meetings that might make residents fear posing questions. 

O’Neal said it is important to hear the opinions of the teachers and administrators on the facilities needs. 

“We will be facilitating all the focus group meetings. I encourage anyone with that concern speak with us before the meeting or the focus group. We really need to hear from everybody.”

The next public meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 30, at the White Fair Building of the Montgomery County Fairgrounds.

The Red Oak Express

2012 Commerce Drive
P.O. Box 377
Red Oak, IA 51566
Phone: 712-623-2566 Fax: 712-623-2568

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