CH-UH District Hopes to Engage Residents in Building Renovation Plans

Attendance has been sparse at many of the meetings dedicated to discussing the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District's plans to overhaul its antiquated buildings.

Now that school officials are to renovate or replace all facilities in the district, they have started scheduling forums for residents to learn more about the planning process and to provide their feedback.

District officials hope for a big turnout, and they're offering food and activities for children at the meetings to encourage people to stop by and accommodate busy parents.

The first public meeting will be from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 30 in the Social Room.

At the October board meeting, members approved two contracts to hire companies that will help the district devise a plan and estimate the cost of the construction.

The district hired a group of architectural firms that will work together to create a master plan. Minneapolis-based , Fanning Howey of Dublin, OH, and local firm studioTECHNE will develop a plan and engage the community in the decision-making process.

Cleveland-based Regency Construction will review the plan that the group of companies comes up with and conduct a cost and constructability analysis to estimate approximately the amount of money the district will need to raise to complete the project.

The team of architects will receive $334,840, and the base fee for Regency Construction is $30,000, said Steve Shergalis, director of business services for the district, by email. The Regency payment will be adjusted based on the number of master plans the group analyzes, he said.

The district is paying the companies with money from the permanent improvement fund, Superintendent Douglas Heuer said at the October meeting.

"We were band-aiding the often outdated facilities we're working in right now, and accumulated $40 million in repairs to just fix them," he said. Now, the district is redirecting that money toward lasting improvements, and operating funds will not be used.

According to a press release from the CH-UH City School District, the Nov. 30 meeting will:

• Provide an overview of the district’s educational vision;
• Describe the planning process that has been undertaken;
• Provide residents an opportunity to assist in defining priorities and goals.

The district began examining the structural condition of its schools last year when the Ohio School Facilities Commission concluded that the buildings were antiquated and required a major overhaul. The CH-UH Citizens Facilities Committee was formed and had its first meeting in September 2010, and the school .

The facilities committee, — suggested the district hire experts and not waste permanent improvement funds on basic renovations.

About 50 school board and city council members, administrators, parents, teachers and others comprised the committee, which was separated into four subcommittees — facilities, educational, facilities options and finance — to focus on specific aspects of the schools.

For more information, visit the district's blog about the process or the special Facebook page dedicated to facilities planning information.