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CH-UH School Board Presented With 3 More Facilities Options

Steve Shergalis, CH-UH business services director, presented the new plans at a meeting Thursday night.

 

Cleveland Heights-University Heights School Board members heard three more ideas for the proposed facilities master plan at a special meeting Thursday, May 24.

In all three new options, Heights High would be renovated first and the only school worked on in the first phase, and the district would use two bond issues to pay for the project instead of one. Construction would stop for about four years between the first and second phases.

In two options, there would be a primary school in University Heights.

The new plans would push the project’s completion date to 2029 instead of 2022 as outlined in the first revised version Plan C.

The team of architects working on a comprehensive facilities plan for the district and administrators crafted the new ideas in response to concerns that the only elementary school would close in University Heights, one bond issue was too much and Heights High should be renovated first.

Proposed options for the facilities master plan: 

Plan C as originally proposed April 18: Renovate Oxford, Canterbury and Roxboro elementary schools, Monticello, Wiley and Roxboro middle schools and demolish and rebuild Boulevard Elementary School in Phase I of the master plan. Renovate Heights High in the second phase. The elementary schools would serve pre-kindergarten through third grade and the middle schools would house fourth through eighth grades in all plans.

Cost: $193.7 million

Project completion date: 2019

 

Plan C revised and presented May 1 and 15: The first segment includes renovating Heights High, Roxboro, Monticello and Wiley middle schools and creating swing space (classrooms outside of school buildings that house students during construction), and will cost more than $158 million. The first segment would be paid for with one bond issue. In Segment 2, Boulevard Elementary would be rebuilt, and Oxford, Canterbury and Roxboro elementary schools would be renovated with a price tag of nearly $48 million paid for by certificates of participation and anticipated funding from the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission. The Delisle Center's District Network Operating Center would also recieve $1 million for an upgrade.

Cost: $206.2 million

Bond millage: 6.83 in 2012, 37-year term at a predicted 4.25 percent interest rate

Project completion date: 2022

 

Plan C-1: Heights High would be renovated first and paid for by a bond issue in 2012. Segment 2 would include renovating Roxboro, Monticello and Wiley intermediate schools and Roxboro, Canterbury and Oxford primary schools and rebuilding Boulevard. The hope is that a combination of a bond issue in 2019, certificates of participation and money from the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission would pay for the second phase in each of the new plans.

Cost: $214.6 million

Bond millage: 3.96 in 2012, 37-year term at 4.25 percent. 5.83 in 2019, 37-year term at a predicted 5.25 percent. If the district receives funding from certificates of participation and the OSFC, the 2019 millage will be reduced to 3.58.

Project completion date: 2029

 

Plan C-2: Same phasing and financing plan as C-1, but a primary school would be added to the plans. Gearity Professional Development School would be renovated and remain open. The district would house five primary schools instead of the proposed four.

Cost: $230.5 million

Bond millage: 3.96 in 2012, 37-year term at 4.25 percent. 6.6 in 2019, 37-year term at 5.25 percent. If the district receives funding from certificates of participation and the OSFC, the 2019 millage will be reduced to 4.32.

Project completion date: 2029

 

Plan C-3: Same phasing and financing plan as C-1, but the Wiley 4-8 program would move to the Canterbury Elementary School site, and a PK-3 program would be relocated to Wiley so there is a primary program in University Heights.

Cost: $230.5 million

Bond millage: 3.96 in 2012, 37-year term at 4.25 percent. 6.6 in 2019, 37-year term at 5.25 percent. If the district receives funding from certificates of participation and the OSFC, the 2019 millage will be reduced to 4.32.

Project completion date: 2029

That’s just the basics of the plans. Look for more details from the discussion soon and how much homeowners would pay annually in each of the millage possibilities above.

Which plan do you like best? Take our poll and tell us in the comments below.

  • Which of the proposed facilities master plans do you like best?

    (Voting has been closed for this question)
    • Plan C original
        7 (8%)
    • Plan C revised, renovating Heights High first
        4 (4%)
    • Plan C-1, renovating Heights High first and waiting four years to complete the rest of the master plan.
        5 (6%)
    • Plan C-2, adding Gearity Professional Development School into the plans instead of closing and repurposing the building
        12 (14%)
    • Plan C-3, moving a PK-3 program to Wiley and a 4-8 program to Canterbury
        3 (3%)
    • None of the above
        47 (57%)
    • I'm not sure
        4 (4%)
    Total votes: 82
  • Your vote will only count once. This is not a scientific poll. View Results Vote!
Related Topics: CH-UH Board of Education, CH-UH Facilities Master Plan, cleveland heights-university heights school board, gearity professional development school, and university heights

sharon

7:58 pm on Tuesday, May 29, 2012

When is enough,enough? University hts is becoming a ghost town due to taxes.

Reply

C. Minot

9:30 am on Wednesday, May 30, 2012

I think the Heights area in general is losing residents due to taxes. It doesn't help to retain residents when our elected officials are trying to see how fast they can spend our money. I don't understand how this system who cried broke last year is now able to look at spending so much money. Money that they don't have. I've said it before, hire more teachers and hold those teachers to a standard. If we do that, we may have a chance to better educate the children.

Reply

Chris

8:50 pm on Wednesday, May 30, 2012

I commend the school board for continuing to listen to the taxpayers. I'm not certain the best plan has been found, but I think they're moving in the right direction.

Reply

John Hubbard

10:35 am on Friday, July 13, 2012

Please consider signing this petition essentially asking the CH-UH Board of Ed to allow a year of honest community dialog before asking our community for $130 Million.
http://www.change.org/petitions/cleveland-heights-university-heights-board-of-education-remove-plan-c-from-consideration-for-the-november-2012-ballot

Reply

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