By John Dowd 

School looks to add multi-use building

 


The Thompson Falls School Board met Monday to discuss the possibility of putting in a new multi-use structure on campus. According to superintendent Bud Scully, there is some COVID-19 funding available through the American Rescue Plan Act. Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds (ESSER) are available to numerous schools affected by COVID-19. During the meeting, Scully mentioned that Thompson Falls is eligible for around $1.8 million of funding through the program. These funds can be used to hire new staff, create new space for education, purchase new technology and more.

To receive ESSER funds, the school would have to meet several requirements, according to Scully, one of which obligates the schools to update their return-to-school safety precautions and post them on their website. This requirement stems from many schools around the country that have been unable to stay open all year, unlike Thompson Falls. The district will be posting the updated plan with suggestions for health and safety regarding COVID-19. Scully advised that none of the plan procedures are mandatory, as Thompson Falls is not requiring students to wear masks or get vaccinated. “It is just another hoop to jump through,” said the superintendent. A stipulation of the funds is that they must be used by 2023 and according to Scully, a large project would deplete those funds more quickly than small projects, ensuring that Thompson Falls Schools are able to use all of the funding available to them.

Inspired by construction at Plains Schools, Scully spoke with the owner of the consulting group assisting Plains in managing the project, Dan McGee. McGee is president of Building Mind and Body, LLC, an organization that helps school districts in managing large building projects. They have handled numerous projects like the one in Plains and the proposed Thompson Falls project. McGee and Scully have worked together before and believe that, through the ESSER funds, Thompson Falls could benefit from such a structure.

The new building would mainly expand the shop class area, which currently uses constricted space where woodworking and welding classes must store equipment and projects in the same area. Scully said that this could be a hazard, and not only would the added space benefit the shop, but it could also create space for more classrooms, technology, wrestling and other recreation. The new building would be added to the high school campus, however, the location is still to be determined.

McGee said the suggested Thompson Falls building could be 70 feet by 100 feet and would be a metal structure. After being asked about the cost, McGee compared the project to the one in Plains. He estimated the Plains building to cost about $1.6 million, however, said it creates a multi-use space for art classes, recreation, sports and more. McGee also mentioned that the cost could be higher for Thompson Falls, as Plains purchased supplies before the COVID-19 and prices have drastically gone up.

The School Board also approved the hire of Jodi Morgan as the new high school principal. She was previously the school counselor, and will be filling both positions, part time, until the counselor position can be filled.

Morgan has been with Thompson Falls High School for 13 years and has had her administrative endorsement since 2017. “I look forward to continuing to work with an amazing group of people,” she stated.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024