By Scott Tuthill, HNA Vice President
On February 7th I published a note looking for volunteers to work on a Highlands Neighborhood Association (HNA) sponsored committee to provide guidance on the upcoming work at Highlands Elementary School. Eleven residents raised their hand to say they would participate. One of them, Dianne Soule, also volunteered to be chairperson and after talking with her she was given that role. She planned a first committee meeting for this weekend. As was stated in the initial note the first and most pressing decision has to do with the “new vs remodel” approach on the school building. Then, after that there would be a multitude of neighborhood issues related to the construction on the site. During the last day the HNA Executive Committee has decided to suspend activities of this committee until after the "new vs remodel" decision is made. You deserve to know the rationale why: * From monitoring discussions on Nextdoor it is clear the "new vs. remodel" decision has become polarizing within the neighborhood. We see no way for a committee at this point to make a rational and effective contribution to this decision, especially in the short time available. * The chairperson, Dianne Soule, who volunteered, and we chose for this committee, is linked to an active team supporting the "remodel" position and that team is meeting at her home next Monday. Though Dianne's involvement to date has been per the role we asked of her and she has been striving to find and publish factual information -- the circumstances and optics going forward put her in position many would identify as biased. And, we have received complaints about it. The HNA Executive Team thanks all the volunteers for this committee. We ask them to maintain their interest and enthusiasm and apply it to the many neighborhood wide issues that will certainly arise after the design decision is made and we enter the construction phase. Regarding the "new vs remodel" decision we encourage you to participate as residents of the Highlands and speak up for what you think is best for our neighborhood. Though not meant to be a comprehensive list, I am aware of the following methods and groups you can contact: • The Boise School District currently has a survey open where you can make input. It is open through February 28th. You can find it at: https://goo.gl/forms/OUetruokVP29vG3s2 There is also information on the project on their website including the video and slides from a presentation at Highlands School on February 5th. • The Highlands School PTO is discussing this issue. • There is a “Save Highlands School” team discussing this issue. • Preservation Idaho’s Idaho Modern project is involved. Boise School District Surveys Residents About Renovation Options for Highlands Elementary School2/22/2018
By Shannon Reagan, HNA Secretary The Boise School District recently posted an update on the process for updating Highlands Elementary, which includes links to a PowerPoint presentation by architects, a video of a community meeting held earlier this month and a survey where taxpayers and residents can provide input. According to the update page, feedback from the survey will be considered by the District in making a decision on rebuilding versus renovating Highlands Elementary. A decision is expected in April. The Boise School District is taking comments on the new school design through February 28 via this survey. The PowerPoint presentation by architecture firm Hutchinson Smith presents two possible design options. The Boise School District has also posted a video of the February 5 community meeting. Last March, 86% of Boise voters approved a $172.5 million bond to support the district's 10 year Educational Facilities Master Plan. Highlands Elementary is one of six schools slated to be rebuilt as part of the plan. The estimated cost of the Highlands Elementary project is $9,680,000, according to the Boise School District. In addition to a new main building, the rebuild includes new physical education and music facilities. Highlands Elementary was built in 1960 and welcomed its first students for the 1961-62 school year, as the area formerly known as Slaughterhouse Gulch transformed into one of the city's newest housing developments. Its floor plan is nearly identical to Jackson Elementary, which was built the same year on Cole Road, but that school has since been closed and was demolished in 2014. By Scott Tuthill, HNA Vice President As many of you know there was an informational meeting on Monday February 5 at Highlands Elementary concerning the new school. The basic details presented, as told to me, were: • Construction will start after the 2018-2019 school year and will continue during the whole of the 2019-2020 school year. During construction students will be bused to Fort Boise. • The school district has not decided yet on whether to remodel the existing school or do a “tear down rebuild”. That decision will be made this April and there will be a public input period. • The school design will likely be finalized in late fall 2018, as best we can guess. Now that we have an actual schedule for the new school, the Highlands Neighborhood Association (HNA) Executive Committee is probing for resident interest in forming a committee to coordinate neighborhood comments and input to the Boise School District. There is an immediate opportunity with respect to the remodel or “tear down rebuild” decision and we are sure there will be many other items during the remainder of 2018. If you are interested in being a member of such a committee, please let us know. (Please add a comment if you are interested in volunteering as the chairperson.) If there is enough interest the HNA Executive Committee will select and work with a chairperson to get the committee going. We have an opportunity to organize and provide input on a major public project in our neighborhood. Let’s not lose this chance. |
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