Firm to give report on former Lemon-Monroe High School
Architects will look at renovation of the building for use by Monroe schools.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
MONROE — A northern Ohio architect firm recently conducted a structural analysis of the old Lemon-Monroe High School to determine if the building can be renovated to house students.
Six representatives from Dimaio Architects, an Ohio School Facilities Commission architecture firm, analyzed the entire building over three days last week, said Monroe Schools Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli.
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"We — the board of education — expect a report back from them in about a week and a half," Lolli said.
"I've requested for them to tell us if the building can be renovated, how much it will cost to make it into an elementary building for 1,300 children and how much will it cost to make it into a middle school for 1,300 children."
The company is being paid $23,000 by the district to do the analysis, she said.
The firm also plans to conduct a community forum to share its findings at the end of this month or early June after it puts together the estimated cost to do the proposed work, Lolli said.
"We have a list of people that we're going to invite as well as a variety of places we're going to advertise," she said.
"I think it's important for the community to hear from a non-bias architectural firm whether or not we can use that building."
Lolli said the district has compiled a list of stakeholders to invite to the forum that includes parents, district staff, community members actively involved in the district and city officials.
After the forum the district plans to hold community focus groups so people can tell the board what direction it should take. The district is also considering conducting asurvey to get input from residents about the school.
"If the board decides to do a bond (issue) of any kind and if they put it on in November, they have to make that decision by July. I'd like to hear the voices of the community before we do that," she said.
Furthermore, Lolli said the district plans to offer tours of the old high school once the architecture firm gives her the approval that the building is structurally sound to take people through it.
The board decided to hire the firm to answer voters' repeated questions about the old high school, located at 101 W. Elm St., regarding why it's not being used to address growth in the district. Lolli said she suggested to the board that it seek an outside opinion about the school after voters defeated a 6.55-mill, $28 million bond issue on the March primary ballot to build a new prekindergarten through fourth-grade school.
"We have Steed Hammond Paul's (2002 opinion on the building) and we have the Ohio School Facilities Commission's in 2000. So if Butler Tech and Middletown have used it, why isn't Monroe using that — that's an answer we have to find," Lolli said.
Contact this reporter at (513) 483-5219 or dewilson@coxohio.com.
