I am hoping that I can having an ongoing picture log of the new school as it is being built; however, it will first be 10 months in the designing stage. I know that seems like a long time, but all the architects have at the moment is a rough outline of what the basic layout will look like. Next, they will have to decide where the classrooms will be, where the library will be (all the books housed in one place, finally), where to locate the restrooms - imagine, more than one per gender in the building - where to put office staff, a maintenance room for heating, cooling, and the janitorial staff and supplies, where the cafeteria and kitchen will be located, and where to place the gym. It will take a lot of planning and hopefully they will take into consideration any input by the teachers who know what a school needs to function properly.
I was very pleased that the bond passed. After attending school board meetings and listening to all the ongoing problems that needed to be fixed, a new building was what was really needed. I dislike the idea of just patching up buildings that really need major repairs, but I am also aware of the fact that when you really get behind the walls, in the ceilings, and under the floors, you sometimes find hidden problems that can become overwhelmingly expensive to repairs, and something need to be torn down to the studs and completely be replaced.
This became true in our own home, which needed even some of the studs replaced because of termite damage and rotting due to excessive moisture, and there are still issues to address and repairs to be made, like the foundation that has a few places that leak. You try to repair and patch but sometimes it is more of a replacement of the old with the new, like electrically wiring and plumbing.
I think the citizens of Larned and the surrounding areas included in the USD 495 school district made a wise choice in voting YES for the bond. I think it will do much for the district and the town to show major improvements and community pride.
Hooray Larned!
