The Washington Local board of education on Wednesday approved a resolution to negotiate architect services with The Collaborative for the proposed new Shoreland and Jackman-Wernert elementary schools.
The board met in executive session Wednesday night to discuss the negotiation.
According to board members, administration, staff, students, and community members heard presentations from The Collaborative, SHP, and SSOE. Superintendent Kadee Anstadt said the Collaborative best aligns with the district’s goals for rebuilding the schools.
“In the end, part of what we really loved about the Collaborative was their presentation, and they were soliciting feedback, which is what we want to see as we move forward. We want to create a design based on what our community is telling us they want,” she said.
Costs for the contract are still to be determined, as Ms. Anstadt said negotiations are slated to begin next week. The Collaborative specializes in K-12, higher education, corporate, commercial, and sports or recreation projects.
In June the district announced plans to build two master schools, Shoreland Elementary and a newly merged Jackman-Wernert elementary, that would have a total capacity of 700 students. Both schools are slated to open in fall 2022. Wernert Elementary will be closed for the merger which will be built on the current site of Jackman Elementary.
District voters in November approved a combined 3-mill bond levy and 3.9-mill operating levy. The bond is for 37 years and is projected to raise about $50 million to qualify the district for $178 million in state funding.
Last year the district spent three to four months hosting various community advisory meetings during which nearly 100 stakeholders were invited to tour district buildings and meet representatives of Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, which is responsible for handling capital projects for Ohio’s public K-12 school construction and renovation program.
District administration and community members agreed that Shoreland Elementary should be among the first buildings to undergo construction. Shoreland has been identified as being the poorest built and most expensive to maintain.
The two schools will be built using the money from the voter-approved bond. Following this phase, the board will assess its remaining elementaries, middle school, junior high school, and high school to decide which format is best for reconstruction, the superintendent said.
First Published February 13, 2020, 10:35 p.m.
