Power Point from 2nd Community Summit

Click here to view Power Point presented at 2nd Community Summit

2nd Community Meeting Scheduled

The second community meeting  addressing the replacement or repair of Midland Elementary has been scheduled for January 6, 2015 at 6:30 p.m.  The meeting will take place at the Midland Elementary Gymnasium.  Please make every effort to attend this important meeting. For further information please visit us on Facebook or call 309-469-2061.

Community Summit Scheduled

MIDLAND C.U.S.D. #7

Varna, IL.

COMMUNITY SUMMIT

The Midland School District is holding a District-wide Community Summit on the morning of Saturday, December 6^th, 2014, from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM.

The Summit location is:

Midland Elementary School 206 N. High Street Lacon, IL 61540.

The Midland School District is undertaking a planning process to determine the future direction of school facilities that includes addressing potential options for 2015 and beyond. This community summit will provide valuable information to address strategic questions having an impact on future school size, grade configurations, programs, facilities, and other planning possibilities. This community summit is part of a larger planning process that includes information about student and community demographics, operating and capital costs, code issues, existing building conditions and future needs.

Questions

The following is a list of questions designed to elicit a wide variety of responses and perceptions about the Midland School District. The answers to these questions will be used to inform the planning process.

1.        What is your school and/or school district known for today?

2.        What should your school and/or school district be known for in the future?

3.        What programs, facilities, or processes need improvement; should be eliminated or new added?

4.        What obstacles stand in the way of making necessary program / facility / process improvements?

5.        If you could wave a magic wand, what is the number one change or improvement you would make regarding the Midland School District facilities or programs?

The summit is an opportunity for the community to share their ideas on many issues including:

·         Technology and the impact on teaching and learning

·         21^st Century Learning and Schools for the Future

·         Existing Building Conditions and Concerns

·         Remodeled or New Building Design Ideas

·         Environmental / Sustainable Design ideas

·         District demographics and operations

Please plan to join us!

Chuck Bennett Jr., AIA and Thomas Cox, AIA, will be responsible for the overall facilitation of the summit. 

Contracts For Land Purchase and Architectural Services

Last night the Midland Board of Education approved a Land Purchase Contract and a Contract for Architectural Services.  Both Contracts may be found here:

Land Purchase

Architectural Services 

Press Release

DATE: October 30, 2014

RELEASE TIME:  IMMEDIATE

CONTACT SPOKESPERSON:  JENELLE COLVIN/BOARD PRESIDENT jcolvin@midland-7.org

The Midland Board of Education has voted to enter into a contingent contract to purchase approximately 35.97 acres of real estate at a cost of $12,500 per acre.  The property is located on the northern edge of the City of Lacon and would be utilized as a potential site for a new school construction project. The contract is contingent upon a majority of the district’s registered voters approving the issuance of bonds for the purpose of paying costs to construct a new school. This contingency ensures that the taxpayers of the district will not be required to purchase the land until approved by referendum. The earliest date to seek voter approval will be in the Consolidated Election held in April 2015. 

The selection of this property as a potential site of new construction stems from a Life Safety Survey mandated by the Illinois State Board of Education. The survey revealed several million dollars worth of repairs that would be required to continue the safe and compliant operations of the Midland Elementary Building. Entering into this contingent contract will allow the option to meet the district’s long term facility needs on a new green space. Several important considerations went into the selection of this site, including: the close proximity to city utilities, the ability to access city streets, and adequate space to ensure sufficient parking and safe traffic flows.  Use of such acreage was also considered for future expansions, potential rental income, and school programs utilizing farm land.

The Midland School District will host a series of community engagement events in the coming months. The goal of these engagements will be to seek input from district residents and stakeholders on the construction of a new school building on this property. These events will allow all interested parties to openly exchange information and share their ideas or concerns.

It is the intent of the Midland School Board to offer the most viable option to the Midland School District that will meet the educational goal of the district and maintain some local control.         

Architect Evaluates Lacon Facility

Dear Friends and Stakeholders:

Recently the Midland Board of Education contracted with a third party architect to conduct an evaluation of the Lacon Facility to ascertain if the building had deteriorated.  The Architectural firm (Craig Wright and Associates) the district contracted with is not on the short list that the district is obligated to negotiate with.  You can find the report the report here.

In addition, the firm also issued a report identifying the basic minimal repairs that should be completed to ensure that the building is safe for students. You may find the red line report here. The minimal repairs, as recommended by the architect, amount to over $800,000 dollars in repairs.

Industrial Park Site

The Lacon City Council voted to restrict the use of property in the industrial park for industrial purposes only.  Business owners  within the Industrial Park expressed apprehension about locating a school in that area due to safety concerns to children.  Their concerns were valid.  I also informed the city council and business members in attendance that the district is not interested in locating in an area that we are not welcome.  This narrows are options considerably.  We now have the following options:

1.       Build a school across the street from the current location.

2.       Launch a site acquisition project.

3.       Repair the current building.

4.       Construct an addition to an existing facility.

5.       Do nothing.

The board will probably discuss this on the 15^th and determine what scope of services they would like Farnsworth to complete.  I would encourage all to attend the meeting on the 15^th .