The Plainview Board of Education will gather again on Monday, Nov. 3rd to continue review and have question and answer time for those interested in the upcoming school bond election.
The Plainview Board of Education has been holding a number of meetings each month (which can be found in the public notices section of the News), all open to the public to engage with “stakeholders” on the bond and what the building blueprint should look like.
The now three-time monthly meetings are open to the public.
The Board has done a number of surveys to gauge parent, stakeholder, staff and community interest or non-interest in various portions of the project, but, as of last revision the project may/could include:
1. Crossing the street, the closing of Woodland Avenue that currently divides the two school buildings seems to be the direction the Board will go, regardless of the floorplan. That has been attributed to safety, creating one continuous building and as the major location for land to expand on or through.
The street would be permanently closed, and was part of the reason that Lincoln Ave. between the ballfields was agreed upon to finally pave by the both the school board and the City Council.
2. There are two parts of the project – repair and renovation and new construction.
As of the latest blueprint the new construction includes a large renovation of the woods/shop area in the southeast portion of the current high school plan, removing the 1920 junior high building and renovating the stage and Tartan gym.
The ag department and Family, Consumer Sciences would be moved to that location, making the “old ag shop” near the football field effectively storage, and bringing those classes to one location.
The “eight classrooms” originally discussed would be scattered throughout the new construction and renovation project – removed from the southwest portion of the building as originally presented.
Other renovation would occur for the elementary building – changing the north end to entirely kindergarten and pre-K, and special education areas.
3. The major new construction – as proposed by this latest blueprint – would bridge the gap of the street with a new competition gym, to be added to the Pirate and Tartan gyms, and create a new space for a number of service areas.
There would be just one “main” entrance, now facing east in the center of the road, with the high school principal’s office located nearby with a secure entry. The superintendent offices and elementary offices would remain where they currently reside.
A new, combined media center, and new band and vocal music rooms would take up the remaining ground-floor portion of the side of the new construction opposite the new gym, as well as a commons area that would serve as the lunchroom as well.
On the second floor, across the level from the top of the new gym, has been planned for new wrestling rooms and fitness area, as well as the remaining four new classrooms.
All said, about 6 new classrooms are in the “new” portion of the blueprint, with a good portion of the central location of the latest high school addition being renovated for new classroom area.