Fort trims options (01/17/07)

FORT RECOVERY - Plans for the future of Fort Recovery High School continue to take shape, but a couple of options are off the table after the fourth in a series of "community engagement" meetings Tuesday night.

School officials said this morning that the option of adding a high school wing to Fort Recovery Elementary/Middle School or a complete renovation of the existing high school to bring it up to Ohio School Facilities Commission standards are no longer being considered.

Both of those options would have involved a little more than $1 million in OSFC construction funding assistance, but both would have required meeting OSFC standards which can be extremely expensive, particularly in the area of fire suppression equipment requirements.

"There was a general consensus that we likely won't take any state money," superintendent David Riel said this morning.

However, Fort Recovery Local Schools does have the option of deferring this year on OSFC assistance and seeking it again at a later date.

After Tuesday's discussions, four options are still on the table:

•Keeping the current gymnasium, vocational agriculture area, commons, cafeteria, and science classrooms but razing the rest of the high school and building new classrooms to replace what is torn down.

•Doing much the same thing, but replacing the science classrooms rather than preserving the current ones.

•Razing just the 1935 portion of the high school building and renovating the rest of the school.

•Continuing with repairs on an as-needed, pay-as-you-go basis.

Riel said school officials will be getting cost estimates on all four options and will present those at the next "community engagement" meeting which is set for 7 p.m. Feb. 12 in the auditeria of the elementary/middle school.[[In-content Ad]]