The Lawrence school board on Monday will consider hiring an architectural firm to execute planning and development of Choice Centennial Campus.
Board members on Sept. 24 voted unanimously in favor of turning the former Centennial Elementary School building into a small, nontraditional high school program.
Centennial, at 2145 Louisiana St., closed to elementary students in May 2003.
Administrators recommend the board accept a proposal from Kansas City, Missouri-based ACI Boland Architects, a firm the district frequently contracts with. Services would total $211,200, according to the agenda item. The cost would not include construction.
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“The firm will provide planning, architectural, interior design, engineering, and cost estimating services to support the renovation of the existing Centennial building,” according to the agenda item. “Their scope includes comprehensive design and construction phase services, encompassing interior and exterior improvements, entry upgrades (potentially including canopy and plaza work), and coordination with the district’s roofing and HVAC consultants for separately packaged improvements, as needed.”
Board members last month also approved a second capital outlay project at Langston Hughes Elementary School, which is not included in the meeting agenda for Monday.
The $211,200 expenditure would be paid from the capital outlay fund, which is made up of proceeds from the sale of district property and equipment as well as taxes. Money in the capital outlay fund is mostly spent on facilities and technology and cannot be used for staff salaries or ongoing expenses.
The proposal is on the consent agenda — a list of items routinely approved in one motion unless a board member or the superintendent pulls an item for discussion.
More on the agenda
• No reports: There was no new business or reports on the meeting agenda as of Sunday afternoon. Several items are on the consent agenda.
• Executive session: A 20-minute executive session, or closed-door, meeting to discuss personnel matters is set for the beginning of the meeting.
Jeanice Swift, superintendent; Larry Englebrick, deputy superintendent; Samrie Devin, acting assistant superintendent and human resources administrator; and David Cunningham, attorney for the district are invited to be present with the board. The board might take action afterward.
The board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20 at district offices, 110 McDonald Drive.
Meetings are open to the public, livestreamed on the district’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/@USD497, and broadcast on Midco channel 26. Full meeting agendas are available on BoardDocs, via go.boarddocs.com.
To give public comment, sign up by noon the day of the meeting by emailing PublicComment@usd497.org. Commenters may request to participate by Webex video/phone conferencing.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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