Updated 9/20
Where will the new school be located?
The school board proposed a site for the new school near Hwy. 210. We heard from some community members at our September 13 community meeting that they had concerns about that site, so our school board has decided to re-evaluate staying at the current site, or choosing some new site. There are clear pros and cons to both sites, listed below. The school board will determine a community engagement process to select a site if the referendum is approved.
Existing site
What’s great about the current location of the high school:
Challenges with the existing location:
New site
Pros of a new site
Challenges with a new site:
Existing site property size
The existing buildings are located on a total of 34.4 acres, 8.4 at the elementary and 26.1 at the high school. The current elementary site is landlocked. The high school site includes a football/track stadium, Varsity and JV softball, Varsity and JV baseball and football practice/PE fields. Both existing sites are below the MDE guidelines of a recommended minimum of 40 acres for a combined K-12 site.
Existing site
What’s great about the current location of the high school:
- Located in the heart of the community
- Ride or walk to school
- Use current athletic facilities (though we would need to relocate softball and baseball fields while building, and would need to demolish the current high school as a site for fields)
Challenges with the existing location:
- Not enough property to fit schools and athletic fields
- Limited space for ice - would need to relocate athletic fields
- It’s hidden in the neighborhood - low visibility
- Constructing a new school on the existing site would require building demolition and relocation of students for about two years
- Safety issues include:
- Parking and street congestion challenges from added elementary school traffic
- Additional neighborhood traffic from elementary traffic
- Continued proximity danger of the Otter Tail River and possible hazardous materials spills from railcar derailments (the school’s emergency management plan includes evacuation plans for this potential).
New site
Pros of a new site
- Plenty of space provides many options and ability to reserve additional space for future growth
- Students can stay in school during construction
- The school can be a visible source of community pride
- There is the possibility for community growth / economic development around the school site
Challenges with a new site:
- Hwy 210 is a busy highway which may pose safety concerns (although discussions are already happening with the city and county about infrastructure that could be built to create safe traffic patterns)
- Harder to ride and walk to school
- Not in the heart of the community
Existing site property size
The existing buildings are located on a total of 34.4 acres, 8.4 at the elementary and 26.1 at the high school. The current elementary site is landlocked. The high school site includes a football/track stadium, Varsity and JV softball, Varsity and JV baseball and football practice/PE fields. Both existing sites are below the MDE guidelines of a recommended minimum of 40 acres for a combined K-12 site.
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