Galesburg Reporter

Mercer County School District 404 Board of Education met April 6.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Attendees:

Mercer County School District

Scott Petrie

Mike Bowns

Julie Wagner

Jason Monson

Tad Balmer

Don Yates

Mark Bieri

Bray Architects

John Mahon - Project Manager

Mark Miller - Project Architect

Reported By: Bray Architects

Purpose of Meeting: Mercer County School District and Bray Architects met to discuss the district wide master plan.

Overall Summary: Mercer County School District and Bray Architects met to review and discuss the results of the possible solution options proposed strategy for the district-wide master plan.

Meeting Minutes

1. Public Comment

Three community members were present for comment, however no one raised comment during this portion of the meeting

2. Facility Discussion

A review of prior options and summary of the last meeting was presented. Revision and update to the options which have been explored were presented.

Mark B provided comment on his opinion of the options and decisions which have been made to date. Mark provided an opinion that the New Boston education wing should be replaced. There is question as to whether the gymnasium can remain or would need to also be replaced. An additional concern with the existing New Boston elementary is the age and condition of the boiler system.

It was agreed that new elementary classroom space is needed and would be a priority over improving the existing buildings. There was discussion over the size of gym in any solution being too small if using a reduced size at New Boston. Size of event and schedule was discussed.

Apollo was discussed, and there was a concern with adding an additional gym. The cost of the gym is a concern, however there is a lack of appropriate gym space within the community. It was noted that travel to gym facilities creates problem for practice opportunities. Don noted that there is a concern with walking away from Joy because of its gym and practice field spaces. In addition, Don noted that building a new gym elsewhere contradicts discontinuing use of the larger Joy gym. It was also noted that the Joy gym is good for spectating but since bleachers do not retract, the court space is small for practice purposes.

Discussion furthered regarding the approach of creating an addition at New Boston versus at Joy. One item for discussion is whether it should be centralized, however transportation will need to be investigated to determine positive or negative impact. Through discussion it was determined that either a solution at New Boston or at Joy would be acceptable. There are benefits and drawbacks to both, however a single decision will be needed.

There is consensus that only minimal repair work would be completed at the high school, and a solution for replacement would be needed. Further exploration of a high school solution will be required to further enhance budget exploration and community outreach.

Through discussion, the group arrived at two solution options for board consideration. There was some discussion regarding a possible third option. These will be presented to the board as recommendation for consideration. Contingent to decision will be a discussion on solution for district office and bus barn.

The above information is the interpretation of the meeting activities and comments; and should be reviewed by all attendees. Please comment on any discrepancies and inform the writer as soon as possible of any changes required.

https://www.mercerschools.org/_files/ugd/6b636f_07f18ac7dd454c9eab75d3e3c7089740.pdf