TCS continues facility master plan

TIFFIN – In the beginning of 2023, Tiffin City Schools Superintendent Ben Richards presented a plan for changes and updates to the district, including it's facilities. Part of this plan was to create the Superintendent Advisory Committee. The committee is made up of staff members, students, local groups and two board members. It has been integral to creating the facility master plan. The plan also discussed the importance of a facility master plan. It provided the following reason for a facility master plan: Current facilities, in their present forms, are not conducive to modern learning Out of 6 buildings the district owns, there is only air conditioning in two of them (Tiffin Middle School and Lincoln Pre-K) Most buildings are not ADA compliant The Permanent Improvement (PI) Fund is paying for repairs rather than to move the district forward The current spilt with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission for a facility project is 69% (state) and 31% (local) The plan to create the facility master plan was to use the Superintendent Advisory Committee to explore options, using surveys to provide feedback on certain options to the community, meet monthly or bi-monthly until a plan is created. The district has carried out each of these to create the facility master plan. The Superintendent Advisory Committee first met in January 2023, meeting six times to discuss the facility master plan. In October 2023, Richards revealed the plan during a TCS Board of Education meeting. The plan New K-5 building The plan consists of a new K-5 elementary school on the Tiffin Middle School, 103 Shepherd Drive, site. During a town hall, Richards explained one of the ideas behind the change would be to eliminate the need for parents to drop their elementary school children off at different buildings. Currently, K-1 students are housed at Washington Elementary, grades2-3 at Krout and grades 4-5 at Noble. The reasoning for the new elementary school at the TMS site includes space for parking, exits and green space for students. Since the campus at the TMS site is susceptible to flooding, minor work would be done to build floodplain considerations. As part of the idea to build a new K-5 building, a traffic study was conducted by TMS Engineers, Inc in July 2023. The two recommendations the company suggested were: At the intersection of Union Street and Shepherd Drive/Fourth Street: Remove the stop signs from the north and south approaches and relocate them to the east and west approaches. The stop bars should also be removed with new stop bars painted on the east and west approaches. At the intersection of Union Street and Shepherd Drive/Fourth Street: Install all-way stop sign control. Install roundabout control. During town hall meetings, Richards assured the community that a roundabout will not be happening. The traffic and lane improvements would focus on the accommodation of pick-up and drop-off times. There is also a plan for additional space and design elements to support specialized learning in the new schools. The estimated cost, which is subject to change, is $42,823,512. This cost includes constructing the buildings for an increased enrollment in the future. It was explained that the Superintendent Advisory Committee feels it is better to build the new school bigger rather than smaller so that the building can accommodate a larger enrollment, smaller enrollment, or the same enrollment over time. New 9-12 high school and stadium improvements A new high school would then be built adjacent to the existing high school, 300 S. Monroe St. The building would include new academic spaces, technology connections and select demolition to the existing high school. As with the new elementary school, there would be additional space and design elements that would support specialized learning. Improvements to the stadium would include a renovated press box, fieldhouse renovations and additional bleachers all for the home team. There would also be a new away team press box, new restrooms and concession stands for tennis and ballfields. At the current high school, renovations to the auditorium, an indoor fieldhouse, weight room, athletic, training and PT space would be done for ongoing school and community use. An expanded Tornado Academy academic space, maker space, computer lab, eSports, Pay It Forward shop, Alumni room and a student-led café would also be put into the current high school. The 300 S. Monroe St. Building would also house new breakout rooms. New parking will be installed after the abatement and demolition of the current high school. The current estimated cost, subject to change, is $45,932,354. This price also includes building to accommodate larger future enrollment. Additional renovation and details Tiffin Middle School would receive renovations to increase its longevity. Although the middle school is new compared to the other buildings, it does have issues such as the roof leaking. Lincoln, which houses the district's Pre-K students, would receive renovations that would better accommodate its students. The abatement and demolition of the existing elementary schools is also part of the plan. However, Richards said he has been approached by parties with particular interest in Washington and Noble Elementaries. The current estimated cost for this part of the project is $3,086,342. Another cost for the project is required and (through) elective locally funded initiatives or LFIs. The cost for those sits at $22,670,888 The total project cost is $114,513,096. The state would pay for 70% of the local share, not including the additional building costs to accommodate future increased enrollment and elective LFIs. The state's estimated portion is $53,849,896. The local share is estimated at $60,663,200. Currently, the anticipated millage needed for the project to be done all at once is 8 mills. Age, condition and renovation costs of TCS facilities A chart showing the age, condition and renovation costs for the facilities that Tiffin City School District owns. Photo provided "The chart displays the 2023 costs for renovation for each building as per the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC)," reads information on TCS's Facility Master Planning website. "If the Reno / Rebuild Percentage is over 66%, the OFCC recommends constructing a new building, rather than renovating an existing one. This is due to the fact that in the long term, a new building will likely be easier and less costly to maintain while also providing a better educational environment, as opposed to simply extending the life of an existing building." As part of the facility master plan, the district began putting on both in-person and virtual town hall meetings in December 2023. It also hosted three town hall meetings in January. The Superintendent Advisory Committee met on Jan. 4 to study input from the community to see if the master plan needs alterations or start the plan from scratch. From there, the committee will make a recommendation to the superintendent for the board.