Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Options for LP school district considered



In a sparsely attended special meeting last Monday, the
Lester Prairie School Board looked to the future and talked about options
for the district.

Of concern was what long range facilities would be needed
and how the school district should go about fulfilling that need.

The discussion included options of expanding, consolidating
with another district, reviewing what legislation to support at the state,
and what information the board needs to make any decisions.

According to information brought to the board by Superintendent
James Redfield, the school building is not designed to have a second floor
built on top of it. The facility has neither a concrete deck to support
another level or spaces for stairwells.

Redfield also said that the architect said that there may
not be enough support to have a concrete deck on the older section of the
building, and that renovating it for a concrete deck would require the roof
to be off for nine months.

However, this information was only solicited from the architect
for the old section and the new section was not considered. The board felt
that the new section of the facility probably did not have the necessary
design specifications to support a second floor either.

Some discussion concerned a courtyard on the south end
of the school. When the addition for the school was bonded, that area was
slated for an extra gym.

However, Lester Prairie citizens voted for a more economical
option, so that portion of the block has gone unused.

Consolidation with Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted was also
discussed. However, Chairperson Gene Starke said he had asked for more information
from the HLWW school district and has not gotten a response.

There was some discussion as to the cost of the proposed
new HLWW school. The board understood that a new high school with consolidation
would come to around $10 million.

A $6 million grant would reduce the cost from about $15.8
million. Without Lester Prairie, the cost would be about $14 million, the
board said.

However, it noted that the figure with the grant subtracted
did not include the extra amenities cited in the original report. Board
members expressed uncertainty at the validity of the figures and whether
the high school would accommodate all four cities.

Board member Nancy Krull noted also that the $15.8 million
did not go along with the original report that the grant would be used to
accommodate amenities such as a pool.

The information Starke wanted was how much the levy would
be for Lester Prairie residents if consolidation occurred, not for all three
cities together. As of the meeting, he still had not received that information.

Starke said he would like to know that amount so the board
and residents could know how much an increase in taxes would result from
pairing, and what they could do with that amount if they spent it in their
own district.

The board was also concerned with not just figures of building
costs, but also what operational and transportation costs would ensue if
the new school were built.

Another reason the board held off on its decision was because
the teachers have yet to meet to voice their concerns over facilities. Their
input would also have to be taken into account in the decision, the board
said.

Still another concern was what Prudence Gushwa, a professor
at Mankato State University who is doing a study for the district, would
recommend from her findings.

Board members asked when Gushwa would be ready to present,
and Redfield said that she would not be ready by next meeting. However,
he will seek to get an update from her by then and it has been added to
the agenda for that meeting.

Redfield listed the options the district has.

They included having a referendum for the district and
building or renting space if it is to maintain the school as is. Also, he
mentioned consolidating with another district or dissolving the district.

Under consolidation, Redfield mentioned options such as
consolidating with HLWW, Glencoe-Silver Lake, or cooperating with Holy Trinity
in some fashion.

Other options would be to just maintain a middle school
in Lester Prairie.

The board insisted it is still on record to go ahead with
the excess-levy referendum it has been discussing for the election in November.

Yet another idea Redfield asserted was to consolidate with
just Winsted. Winsted would have to un-pair with HLWW.

Overall, the board is still seeking more input from its
citizens, and Starke has said there has been some negative reaction to the
idea of a survey. Redfield said he believed he could get some information
from the auditor.

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