The Board of Education voted last Thursday evening to request funding from the School Building Authority for a new Kenna Elementary as this year’s “needs” project. The total cost of the school is projected at $10,377,999. The local portion of the funding would be $1,676 in matching funds in addition to the land for the building. Most of this will be from the county’s 100% excess levy which is already in effect.

The site, a location that the Board already owns on Kenna ridge, brings the local portion of the cost to $2,156,000. Much of the site preparation for construction is already completed. The site, consisting of 18.25 acres, offers approximately 12 acres of flat, buildable land.

Member Steve Chancey expressed deep reservations about the site due to slipping that has occurred in fill areas this winter. He stated his preference for a new school at the current site. That site would require the purchase of 3.5 acres of land adjacent to the school. The landowner set the price for that parcel at $200,000 – about $57,000 per acre – which, with site preparation costs, would add about half a million dollars to the building costs. Some members of the Board seemed shocked by the requested price.

Member Steve Wedge pointed out problems that could arise during the demolition of the old building. Due to the presence of asbestos, he said, “We’d be putting the whole valley in danger during the demolition.” He also felt that the drainage problems at the site would continue for a new building there.

The vote on the site was four to one with Chancey voting against the Kenna Ridge placement.
The documents are in the hands of the SBA; a decision will be announced in April. Construction of the new 47,200-square-foot building would eliminate the need for portable classrooms that are currently in use separate from the main building at the old school.

According the the SBA presentation document, “The old school has been identified as in need of replacement due to a history of flooding and the poor condition of the facility. Four times since 2004, flood waters have entered the building creating the need for extensive clean up. The school is situated at the intersection of two, small, fast-moving streams. Two low-lying bridges connect the school with the main highway. The existing site is limited in size leaving few, if any, options to prevent such flooding in the future.”

Four portable classroom structures are currently in use at the school. These house pre-K, kindergarten, computer labs, a speech therapist, the school psychologist, the music room, and a fourth-grade class. The school’s 375 students must travel between buildings in all weathers to go to lunch and attend special classes. Not only is discomfort and issue, but so are safety and security. Corridor doors must remain unlocked due to the traffic making it possible for unauthorized people to enter the building unobserved.