School project moves forward
School project moves forward
By JILL DENNING GACKLE
Someone called Garrison Superintendent Steve Brannan last week to offer his services to conduct a bond issue.
“Did anyone call to offer to pay for it?” Jerry Sayler, board member, joked at a meeting Tuesday evening.
The interest from a half dozen architects and a bondsman were the result of the district’s recent talk about moving ahead with plans to have a bond issue to add on to both schools. The board members took a couple more steps forward Tuesday when they voted to involve more community members and to hire a consultant from an architectural firm to guide the process.
The decision came because of a need for additional space in anticipation of growing enrollment. Currently there are 50 more elementary students than there are high school students. The state says enrollment in the district will grow from 358 this year to 400 by 2014.
A committee of board members, committee members and administration narrowed down its expansion interest to two tentative options. One is construction of two additional classrooms at the elementary school and a new ag shop and a multipurpose area at the high school. That option would allow for additional locker rooms, a weight room, multipurpose room (commons area) and three classrooms. Another option is a separate middle school complex on the high school grounds. Included in the second option is an ag/shop and a multipurpose room.
