Warden schools look toward renovations

District upgrades and additions projected to cost under $10 million

WARDEN — Discussions are moving ahead in the Warden School District to expand school facilities after a public meeting with residents and Design West Architects last month.

WSD Superintendent Larry Blades said the total cost of the project is estimated at just under $10 million, and state matching funds should bring the costs for local taxpayers down to $8 million.

A school bond, to help finance the project, will go to a vote in February.

At the middle and high schools, the current proposal calls for a new music facility, health classroom, student commons area, new weight and wrestling rooms with expanded locker capacity and a new gym floor.

Some of these changes would alleviate sharing space among grade levels so students are not placed in portable classrooms, Blades said.

One example of overcrowding is within the district's music program which has more than 50 students in the middle and high school programs, practicing in a room built for 35 in an elementary school room facility.

"We have no facilities for kids to practice whatsoever," said Warden High School music teacher Aaron Wagner. "The quality is there and the numbers are there and it shows no signs of slowing down."

Other areas of emphasis are the kitchen, administration offices and property purchased by the district last year that once housed a hardware store.

Nearly 375 breakfasts and more than 700 lunches are served each day and seating capacity is a problem, Blades said of dining services.

In 2004, the district purchased a 7,200-square-foot building that once housed a hardware store, which under the bond proposal would be refurbished for additional classroom space, community functions, distant learning sites offered via satellite through Big Bend Community College and district meetings.

New office spaces for payroll and administration are also included in the facilities plan.

One area of concern, Blades said, is meeting the needs of the district and taxpayers who would be impacted if a bond passed to start construction.

"They really are trying to keep the people in mind as to what can be afforded," Blades said of the district and others who have given input so far on the proposal.

In the meantime, the district continues to pay off existing debt from previous renovation projects which will be paid off by 2010.

"They are all priority one," Blades said of the renovation plans for each facility.