Public forums to address aging school buildings
By Kevin Kelley
Westlake
Published Sept. 17, 2008

Aging school buildings and growing enrollment are forcing the Westlake City Schools to closely examine the need for renovations or new facilities.

Superintendent Dan Keenan, who was hired in June 2007, said he was initially reluctant to address the facilities issue so early in his tenure. But repeated questions from parents, employees and staff have caused him to confront the issue now.

The district will hold four public forums in coming weeks to gauge the community’s views on the need for new public school facilities and/or renovations and its willingness to fund them.

The first forum is scheduled for Sept. 23 in the gymnasium of Dover Elementary School, 2300 Dover Center Road. The second is set for Sept. 29 in the lecture hall of Westlake High School, 27830 Hilliard Road. Parkside Elementary School, 24525 Hilliard Blvd., will host a meeting Oct. 1.

A final meeting, at which Keenan hopes to commission a committee to develop a formal facilities plan for the district, is scheduled for Oct. 14 at Holly Lane Elementary School, 3057 Holly Lane.

Heating, electrical and plumbing systems in many of the district’s buildings are old and not up to state standards, Keenan said. Roofs and windows are also in need of replacement, he added.

In addition, buildings are deficient in terms of energy efficiency, resulting in higher utility costs, the superintendent said.

Growing enrollment has also meant that space in all schools is at a premium, Keenan said.

A 2001 enrollment study predicted the number of students in the district would reach a peak of 3,810 in the 2006-07 school year. However, the number of students has increased by an average of 53 each year since 2001.

As of October 2007, the district’s enrollment stood at 4,075.

All of Westlake’s grade divisions — elementary, intermediate, middle school and high school — have enrollments greater than their school buildings were intended to hold, Keenan said.

“Every single level is above capacity,” he said.

The dual problems of aging buildings and above-capacity enrollment are not going to go away, the superintendent said.

A study conducted this spring by Lesko Architecture said it would take $66 million just to upgrade the district’s buildings to minimum state standards.

The study also developed six options for the district’s facilities that involved various permutations of renovations and new buildings. All options involved building a new high school around the 2005 Performing Arts Center and sections of the existing high school.

The price tag of the Lesko options ranged from $80 to $125 million.

However, Keenan emphasized that nothing has been decided. The purpose of the upcoming community forums is to develop a plan with the community’s input rather than tell residents what the plan is, Keenan said.

The district formed a facilities focus group of nine residents to review the Lesko report. That group concluded that the community needed to be informed of the problem and consulted in the development of a plan.

Keenan and the school board are in the process of creating another committee of 18 to 24 residents that will develop a comprehensive facilities plan. This committee will hold its first meeting at the Oct. 14 forum at Holly Lane Elementary School.

Keenan told West Life that he wants all demographics of the community — from parents to those without kids in the schools — to be represented on the committee.

“I want all perspectives,” Keenan said. “I want our city. I want all aspects of Westlake.”

The committee, and ultimately the community, will have to grapple with some of the following questions:

• Should the existing setup of neighborhood elementary schools be abandoned in favor of a larger but ultimately more inexpensive and efficient building?
• Should the district attempt to upgrade its facilities incrementally or all at once?
• Which facility features are considered needs and which are more “wants” or luxuries?

Keenan said he sincerely wants the input of residents.

“We need people to attend these meetings and give us their input so we can develop a plan that represents the city of Westlake,” Keenan said.

Regardless of what plan is developed, one thing is almost certain: Renovations or new facilities will be funded entirely with local money.

Under the state’s system of funding capital improvements in public school districts, Westlake is considered wealthy and almost at the end of Columbus’ list of priorities, Keenan said.

The 40 acres of land the district owns on Bradley Road will not necessarily come into play in the district’s future facilities plan. Each current school site has enough land on which to build a new school while the existing school can remain in session, Keenan said.

In regard to the Bradley Road property, the nine-member focus group said now is not the best time for the district to seek a sale of the land due to the current real estate market and economic climate, Keenan said.

The Bradley Road property had been a political issue in Westlake in recent years. The city had sought to purchase the land to create soccer and baseball fields. However, the city and school district were unable to agree on a price.