Public Forums on Greenacres School to be held March 3 and 15

What will happen to Greenacres Elementary School? Is it preferable to renovate and expand the existing school or replace the 100 year-old building with a new school to be built on the field across the street? That will be the focus of the discussion at a public forum with district architects KG&D at Greenacres Elementary School on Thursday night March 3rd at 7 pm and in the SHS auditorium on Tuesday morning March 15 at 9 am.

The Greenacres Building Committee Report presented choices for the Board and the community to evaluate, including option B1 that would add 14,000 square feet with six classrooms and small group instruction spaces on the Huntington Avenue side of the existing school. Students could presumably remain in the existing classrooms while the new ones are being built. The estimated cost is $49.4 million and would include infrastructure upgrades.

The much-discussed Option C is for a new two-story building on the field across the street with larger classrooms, a full-size gym, a large multi-purpose room and a cafeteria at a cost of $56.4 million. Students could remain in the old building while the new construction takes place, but the community would lose the use of the playground and fields. When the new building is completed, the old one would be demolished and replaced with playing fields.

The school board and administration are anticipating a bond referendum for the school in May, 2017.

Learn more about the condition of the existing building and plans for the future at two meetings: March 3 at 7 pm at Greenacres and March 15 at 9 am in the SHS auditorium.