Iowa City schools developing construction scenarios

IOWA CITY – An Iowa City school district committee plans to present several construction scenarios to the public that include building new schools, expanding existing ones and closing others.

A district steering committee, made up mostly of school and local government representatives, helping the district develop a long-term facilities plan met Monday night to develop possibilities.

Ideas including maintaining the status quo, building a new high school and three elementary schools and other variations.

The district has scheduled community workshops to walk through the options on May 11, May 13 and May 14.

The district hired BLDD Architects, headquartered in Decatur, Ill., to physically assess the district's schools and lead the planning process as the district tries to address growing enrollment.

The goal is to send six to seven scenarios to the public, Sam Johnson of BLDD said. Two are guaranteed to be presented, he said.

One is the status quo -- just keeping the buildings in the district as they are now, with some renovations, and no additions or new buildings.

The other is what was referred to as scenario one. It calls for a new high school and three new elementary schools. That fits with what district leaders promised in the election earlier this year for a new revenue purpose statement, approved by voters, that made up to $100 million available for construction projects.

The total cost for scenario one, which includes work on existing buildings, is $143.2 million. But Johnson said with other funding sources, the district can afford everything BLDD presented.

Other possibilities include closing buildings, including the smaller Lincoln and Hills elementary schools, and adding onto existing schools.  Shuttering Hoover Elementary and using it as an expansion site for nearby City High also was discussed.

Hills Elementary has

fought closure in the past and the suggestion of closing it, or any other school, likely would face objections from the neighborhoods they serve.