Shawano School Board members favored remodeling space for a weight room as opposed to a building addition at the high school and opted to continue to push for a permanent orchestra pit in a remodeled performing arts center.
Those were the two key decisions made during a June 19 work session as members continue to hone the referendum request to put before voters in November. As it stands now, that request will be for $52.9 million.
The April referendum question that failed sought $54.5 million.
An addition for a new weight room was proposed to be built on the northeast end of the pool area. This proposal also included significant remodeling of the mezzanine area above the locker rooms and showers.
The work on the mezzanine would still be done with the alternative remodeling space for the weight room. The family and consumer science classroom space and district offices would be the home for the weight room in this scenario.
“Since we’re taking over family and consumer science, we are looking at relocating them to a new addition (near the CTE classrooms),” said Jody Andres, K-12 market leader and senior project architect for Hoffman Planning, Design and Construction Inc. “Oddly enough, with doing all that and doing the new addition here … it still costs less to do this.”
District offices would relocate to Olga Brener Intermediate School. A new entrance would be built for the offices to keep them separate from the student body.
“We take up the areas on the northeast corner,” Andres said. “This becomes the self-contained administration space.”
He said all necessary space for students and classrooms would still be met, as the space for the administration is either unused or used for storage and can be readily relocated.
“This goes toward that idea of using the space that you have,” Andres said.
Today, when an orchestra is needed for a musical or other performance, the first 100 chairs in the auditorium are removed to make room for the musicians.
This project would also include more space for storage, the scene shop, staging for performances and classrooms.
Board member Frank Kugel wasn’t convinced about the orchestra pit.
“The people have said, ‘We’ve lived all these years without it. We’ve gotten by without it. It’s a want, not a need,’” he said.
“I don’t go to plays. And the people I deal with don’t either. I’m being honest. They had this belief that once it was defeated, when we come back, it would be millions of dollars less. And the catch is, if this is defeated, what happens to maintenance. They’re all in favor of maintenance. They’ll vote all day long; we gotta have it. All day long, no questions.”
Board member Jeana Winslow said damage is continually being done to the seats that are removed and reinstalled for the temporary orchestra pit, and fellow board member John Arens said the project would improve sight lines in the auditorium.
An orchestra pit would allow for the orchestral players to be located in the correct spot during a musical production, making it easier for the singers and stage performers to perform their roles as they would not be singing over an orchestra in front of them as opposed to below them.
Kugel insisted more cuts are wanted by the voters.
“After the first referendum failed, the people were looking for less dollars,” he said. “You’re going to do it again? Let’s chop off $10 million, because they feel like it’s their money, coming out of their pocket, because no one believes it won’t cost you anymore. At least that’s the crowd I hang out with. We’re back at the same amount. I need help to convince these people that this is good.”
He said the board listened and deleted the child care plans at Hillcrest Primary School and decided on turf over natural grass at the high school football field. More cost-cutting decisions are needed, he said.
“The things that we’re talking about here are two, three million tops,” board member Tim Renard said. “It’s not going to be a $10 million slice.”
Andres offered advice on selling the plan to the public.
“The other thing to remember is the refocusing,” he said. “The high school is refocusing from doing all sorts of upgrades to the classrooms to what’s absolutely necessary. It’s refocusing doing more for CTE (career and technical education). It’s refocusing, in this case, to improving the opportunity for family and consumer science. Because it looks kind of the same doesn’t mean it’s actually going to end up the same.”
Kugel then pivoted to the pool at the high school, which is proposed to be renovated at a cost of $500,000.
“And if you could tell me that the pool will be open for the public, big selling point,” he said.
Superintendent Kurt Krizan said he was open to that, with a caveat.
“If there’s a need … we’ve done it before. We’ve staffed it, and no one came. That’s why it ended,” he said. “If there’s a need and people are going to come, there’s absolutely an opportunity there.”
Board member Karen Houston admitted to still having issues with the proposal.
“I had a hard time before, because we talked about needs and wants, and I still think there are wants for some departments in here,” she said. “I would have a hard time looking somebody in the face …”
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
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