The design team should take a little time to consider a Monolithic Dome design for the new schoool. Monolithic Domes are fire-proof, tornado-proof, and use less than half the energy of conventional buildings to heat and cool. Here is a link to more information on school designs on the Monolithic Dome site:

http://static.monolithic.com/gallery/sch...

Grand Meadow, MN
http://www.gm.k12.mn.us/domeschools.htm

Geronimo, OK
http://www.geronimoschools.com/index.sht...
http://www.geronimoschools.com/comm/hist...

Caledonia, MO
http://www.dailyjournalonline.com/articl...
http://www.dailyjournalonline.com/articl...

Crandall Design - completed projects in Hinton and Texhoma OK, Avalon, Italy, and Saint Jo TX
http://www.crandalldesign.com/Project_Li...

Pattonsburg, MO
http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmin...

First, the landowner was fairly compensated by the court for their land. No homes were involved, just vacant land.
Second, the school board assigned the design committee the task of designing a new high school and figuring out the best configuration of grades to use the old high school. They were very specific in their assignment, and no suggestion to remodel the existing high school would be heard.
Third, building 260,000 square feet of new high school will create more space than the district will grow into in 20 years. The extra space will be just sitting there, requiring heating every winter, maintenance all year long, and becoming obsolete before it is used - if it's ever used.
Fourth, one additional middle school would give us plenty of space for growth for the next 5 years, for 1/5 of the $80,000,000 they propose to spend on a new high school.
And then they'll wonder why the referendum goes down in flames.......

In this case, I think the Eminent Domain laws works well. This is for PUBLIC use. A lot of crooks are getting away with calling it Eminent Domain when in fact the land goes to a Corporation.

Why not build a new Middle School for the 6 - 8 grades, solves the problem at Northside and The Middle School and saves millions of dollars. Also, where are the new students coming from with both subdivisions a dead issue. The High School is not crowded or full. Many empty class rooms every hour.

I'm quite sure the structural engineering of the current facility would require major rennovation to add a floor. This would also do nothing to alleviate the overcrowding at the Middle School and Northside.

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A new High School will allow the current HS to be turned into a 6-8 middle school, allow the current Northside and Middle School buildings to be turned into 2 intermediate schools (3 - 5) and relieve overcrowding at East, West, Harmony and Conslidated by converting them to K-2 buildings. (Of course that plan isn't final.) The High School is full, but not overcrowded yet. With this plan, one new building takes away the need for 3 new buildings and proactively covers the eventual need for more High School space.

I wonder if any of the designs include adding floors above the exisiting floors.
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I am really upset by eminent domain laws. I feel bad for the land owner who will be robbed of his land to make way for expansion.