Public forum on Washington Middle School plans April 27

Residents in the Washington Community School District will have a chance to hear firsthand information about plans to renovate or replace the middle school.

The district is planning a one-hour public forum at 6 p.m., April 27 in the Washington High School Auditorium.

“We will present options for 40 minutes and take questions afterward until 7 p.m.,” Superintendent Willie Stone said, adding that there is a concert planned in the auditorium for 7:30 p.m.

The district is seeking public comments on four proposed plans for the middle school: repairing and renovating the 100-year-old building, rebuilding a portion of the current building, adding on to the high school or building an entirely new building.

A complete renovation of the current building is estimated to cost from $22 million to $26 million.

Rebuilding a portion of the current building would cost from $26 million to $30 million.

Adding on to the high school would cost $30 million to $34 million.

Building an entirely new school building would cost $29 million to $32 million.

There is a survey on the district’s main web page, www.washington.k12.ia.us/home, in the “What’s New” tab, listed as “MS Building Options for General Obligation Bond.”

The survey, which is available in Spanish, shows drawings of all four plans, with details, as well as pros and cons.

Stone said Thursday that there have been fewer than 500 responses thus far.

“We’re still trying to get the word out about the survey,” Stone said. “Our goal is to get at least 1,000 (responses) to get a better idea of what the public wants.”

Stone said he is having several information boards printed that can be displayed at banks, stores and other businesses in the community.

“They will have QR codes on the bottom, where you can use your phone to take a picture, and it’ll take you directly to the link with all of the information on it, with all the pros and cons,” he said. “The surveys are at the very bottom of them.”

He said he would update the school board and the public regarding which plans currently have the most votes.

The timeline, spelled out at last week’s school board meeting, has the board narrowing the choices to two in May, then a final choice in June.

The district plans to have a public bond election on whichever project is selected on Sept. 14.