Architects recently met with a group of patrons representing a cross-section of sectors in the community to help provide direction for the Poplar Bluff School District’s long-range plan.
The Citizens’ Advisory Council, comprised of around 35 constituents including school officials, provided input on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at Kay Porter Theater to assist Dake Wells Architecture in prioritizing projects identified locally for the school system's next 10-year plan.
“We’ve been doing a lot of work behind the scenes, including walking each building,” stated Addison Jones of Dake Wells. The architect noted that the mission of the larger group is to provide critical feedback from the community and serve as key communicators throughout the process.
The highest needs identified by the participants were virtually identical to those separately ranked by the Long-Range Planning Committee, which represents a more intimate group of community leaders. Topped by safety and security upgrades plus expansion of the Early Childhood Center to serve more preschoolers, the priorities are in alignment with the initial projects identified for the no-tax increase levy measure that the Board of Education voted to place on the ballot during Election Day on Tuesday, April 8.
In total, over 80 themes were collected as a result of needs lists submitted by principals in October as well as architectural observations coupled with discussions with educators during a campus tour the following month. The Long-Range Planning Committee has held several meetings with planning officials thus far, brainstorming areas of improvement from an external standpoint. Members were presented with a formal rating of each building in a campus analysis this month.
The long-range planning process is anticipated to continue through the fall before a facilities master plan is produced with guidance from the stakeholder groups. A new demographics study is being solicited by Business Information Services in Blue Springs to study student population trends. Last month, Smith and Company conducted a traffic analysis utilizing drone footage collected during parent pick-up and drop-off across campus.
The next phase in the process will be to begin preliminary programming with estimates, after which the Citizens’ Advisory Council will meet again and once more prior to the phasing and sequencing portion, according to the planning professionals, who are based in Springfield.
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Cutline: Victor Boyda of Dake Wells Architecture provides technical assistance to patrons utilizing the Mentimeter platform on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at Kay Porter Theater.