Does Libby need a new elementary school?
by KLCB 1230 AM Libby News Radio
May 1, 2008
Will Libby get a new elementary school? Does Libby need a new elementary school? School enrollment has been on a steady decline since the mid-90s, and is projected to continue to drop through at least 2011.
Remodeling and renovation of Asa Wood school as an option was almost immediately dismissed, and swept from the table, by the group largely made-up of school employees.
The meeting was the first of a series of meetings of an at large new elementary school steering committee.
While discussion of a new elementary school has been around for some time, it picked up momentum after a snow removal incident revealed that the exterior walls of the 1953 Asa Wood School are filled with vermiculite, as are the walls of the McGrade and Plummer buildings. There is now concern that Asa Wood contains mold and is causing respiratory problems for the staff.
"In my opinion", said Superintendent of schools, Kirby Maki, "It is impractical to clean a 1953 building. It would be better to put that money into new construction."
Asa Wood, originally built as a junior high school, became an elementary school in 1969 when the new junior high school, now the middle school opened, and as one member of the audience pointed out, now we would be taking another building built as a junior high school and turning it into an elementary school, with the move of elementary students to the current middle school. New Central, now the administration building, was built as a junior high school, and became an elementary school with the opening of Asa Wood in 1953.
Several options developed.
Maki has asked Max Baucus for a Congressional appropriation of $12,186,000 to build a new asbestos free building. Baucus has told the Enviroonmental Protection Agency (EPA) to look into an $8 million special account for cleanup.
One option would be to locate a new elementary building on the current Asa Wood property, possibly acquiring more land toward Flower Creek, and demolishing the current building.
Other ideas were to acquire land between the middle school and high school on education way to locate a new building, or building an additional gym and classroom pods at the existing middle school as an elementary wing.
Board member Lee Disney has a slightly different vision.
Build an addition to the middle school with four to five classrooms, and a community swimming pool. Convert Asa Wood into a much needed assisted living center for senior citizens.
"We don't need a third building, in my opinion", said Disney. "The community could benefit from the closing of Asa Wood", he said. The idea would put kindergarten through 7 in the current middle school and 8 through 12 in the high school.
School board member Jerry Frament said he likes Disney's idea of consolidation.
An architect from Architects Design Group in Kalispell, told the group "a building built in the 1950s just isn't what you want for an elementary school." He told the group the remaining buildings in the system are approaching the end of their life, referring to the 1960 vintage middle school and high school, and the community needs to be looking toward replacing them.
Construction time for the new elementary building would be 12 to 15 months.
Where will $12 million come from if the federal money from congress and the EPA does not materialize?
It will have to come from the taxpayers in the form of a construction bond levy.
Disney said, "We need a plan for less money. We need to do some long range planning."
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Story by KLCB 1230 AM Libby News Radio, www.todaysbestcountryonline.com
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