The Red Barn

Each morning I pass by a big red barn on my way to school.  This spring I have noticed subtle changes in the barn.  Although some of the window casings are still fairly white, the red paint has become worn and thin.  Some of the doors which keep the wind and rain out of the barn are a bit crooked and do not quite close as nicely as they did when the red barn was new.  The white trim on the corner of the barn is warn and dirty.  It looks as though some of the windows are becoming crooked and worn.

In much the same way as the old red barn, our school buildings have began to become worn and tired.  Over the past several weeks between thirty and forty community members,  have been working on creating a Facilities Master Plan focused on the needs of our current and future students.  Below you will find the summation of the meetings to date:

May 21, 2013 Meeting

The team held discussion and worked on creating guiding principles to lead us through the task of making the best decisions regarding what improvements that should be included in or facilities master plan and recommended to the board. 

May 28, 2013 Meeting

The team toured the high school, middle school, elementary school and the options & adult education buildings; to see firsthand the needed updates and replacements.  The building principals lead the tours along with the director of building operations.

June 4, 2013 Meeting

Discussion was held regarding the committee’s observations of the building tours.   Questionnaires were completed on the subject of the current infra structure conditions and the needs for improvement. A considerable amount of time was spent holding discussion on the topic of accessibility, technology and security needs and issues.  The committee also worked on prioritizing the infra structure’s needs. The main focus is to assure a safe, comfortable and secure environment along with assuring meeting ability to meet the District’s technological needs.

The Facility Improvement Team will continue to meet in the high school library on Tuesday evenings, at 6:00 p.m., to continue to create a Facilities Master Plan.  If you have any questions regarding the process, please email me or check out the Columbia Facility Planning Facebook page.