About 120 citizens attend assessing school needs forum

The first of three public forums this summer on assessing the physical needs of the Wayland school district drew about 120 people Wednesday night.

A good crowd listened briefly to comments from representatives from architects Tower Pinkster of Grand Rapids and from Triangle Construction before breaking up into small groups to talk about just what the local school system needs for its buildings and infrastructure.

The two issues that consistently were able to the rise to the top of priorities were the aging high school pool and the even more aging Pine Street Elementary building.

Steve Hoekzema from Tower Pinkster flatly said the pool, which now is 41 years old and costs a lot of money in repairs and maintenance, is not an easy fix, in fact he recommends replacing it entirely with a new facility.

“You’ve pushed that piece of the project for a long time, and now it’s a significant piece,” he told the audience. “It doesn’t make sense to repair it. You’re better off starting over… It’s failing.”

Indeed, some of the comments from the small groups recognized that the pool is some place where other schools don’t want to come to compete and it’s becoming a liability.

The Wayland pool does not meet standards for interscholastic competition and it has serious issues with its shallow water at starting blocks and with mechanical considerations.

Hoekzema added that a new pool would cost at least several million dollars and it still would be expensive to operate.

Jon Jensen, a former social studies teacher at Wayland High School and principal at the junior high, said some districts, such as Forest Hills, have established a community pool system in which the community shares in some of the costs and usage.

Superintendent Norm Taylor acknowledged such a move is possible and he said there have been discussions about a recreation authority.

Some of the small groups suggested including Hopkins and letting its students join the Wayland swim team, just like Middleville and Hastings.

One woman, also lamenting the poor condition of the tennis courts and the high school and middle school, asserted, “We can’t host these athletic events. Nobody wants to play in our house.”

Some said they’d like to see the pool eliminated to make way for more classroom space at the high school. But others pointed out that the pool is useful for teaching water safety and providing therapy and recreation for local citizens.

Pine Street Elementary, which is attended by fifth- and sixth-graders, generated a lot of discussion about shuttering it completely and even having it razed. The former high school, it is the oldest building in the district and most expensive to operate per square foot.

Middle school computer teacher Aaron Wissner, reporting for one group, said there was a lot of talk about closing Pine Street, sending the sixth-graders to the junior high and adding a wing there to create a middle school. He said it would be advantageous for athletics and band.

Some said they’d like to see Pine Street closed, demolished and the site sold as prime business real estate. Perhaps the money from the sale could be used to build a new elementary across from the transportation building on the south side of Wildcat Drive.

Board of Education Trustee Pete Zondervan, speaking on behalf of one group, said, “Pine Street has outlived what it needed to do” and suggested realignment of grades in buildings to absorb the students affected by closure.

But Jennifer Antel, speaking for another group, said she’d hate to lose Pine Street because of its historical significance.

One spokesman of a small group suggested “a hybrid bond proposal for the arts, athletics and academics” because it might attract more support with something for everybody.

The attendees acknowledged the needs that are not easily seen, such as mechanical pumps and compressors, and one group spokesman said it is extremely important to preserve what already exists in the district. But there didn’t seem to be a lot of support for expanding parking.

Realignment for school buildings and the grades they serve may be needed in the near future because projections are for continued slow growth in student populations and Taylor predicts Wayland for the first time ever will have 3,000 students in the 2017-18 academic year.

Scott Jerberg of Traingle Construction told the audience that the estimate for taking care of all identified needs, minus costs for a new pool, is just shy of $26.5 million.

Further discussions about what needs to be done for Wayland school facilities will be held in public forums in July and August.

PHOTOS: This small discussion group included head varsity football coach Mike Doupe, assistant coach Dan Cassini, school board member Pete Zondervan, Cindy Mathis and Fire Chief Joe Miller, among others.

Scott Jernberg of Triangle Construction and Steve Hoekzema of Tower Pinkster spoke briefly to the audience before they fanned out into small discussion groups.