Akron Elementary Principal Chrissy Mills addresses the crowd. (Photo by Jarrett Van Meter)

Tuesday night saw the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation host the first of what will be two community information meetings regarding the Akron Elementary School renovation project. Tuesday’s meeting was held at Akron Elementary, while another meeting will be held at Mentone Elementary at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15.

The first meeting saw presentations from TVSC Superintendent Brett Boggs, Akron Elementary Principal Chrissy Mills and Victor Landfair of The Skillman Corporation of project administration and construction management. The presentation was broken up into four main parts: needs, facilities, financial impact and audience questions.

The existing floor plan of Akron Elementary. (Photo by Jarrett Van Meter)

Boggs opened the meeting  with a history of TVSC, including all of the major renovation and remodeling projects that have occurred since the corporation’s inception. Boggs explained how many of the schools around the state are improving their facilities, including here in northern Indiana, which is giving families reason to think long and hard about where to send their kids, even if they live within  the TVSC communities of Akron or Mentone.

Boggs stated, “We need to try and retain the kids we do have, as well as attract new ones.” He pointed to families in the area having the option to send their children to schools in Rochester or Warsaw should they find them more appealing, and continued, “We need facilities that are as good if not better than the ones around us.”

Mills explained that if the school corporation was going to experience growth and begin to educate more children, added space would be a necessity, hence the renovation plans. Mills explained, “We want growth, but in the back of my mind I am thinking ‘where are we going to put these kids?’ ”

She explained how Akorn Elementary lacked several amenities that are becoming the standard for American schools, such as bathroom in the kindergarten classes and increased kitchen space in the cafeteria. She went on to explain how the school’s gymnasium is not only a key element of the school but a vital part of the Akron community as a whole, hosting, among other things, a men’s basketball league, GED classes, Thanksgiving Day celebrations and English as a Second Language tutoring.

Landfair gave a presentation where he outlined two very general concepts for the direction  to take the renovation project. The plans are still in the very early phases with nothing settled on at this time, and as a result the plans have not been made available online.

Landfair explained that, “Concept two creates a new gymnasium space attached to the building and frees up space to solve circulation problems, while eliminating having to spend $1 million on the old gym.” He went on to explain that one of the school’s newest additions, built in 1987, would be saved in both options, and that they have tried to make the both options as comparable as possible.

The estimated cost of Option One would be $15,320,100, while the estimated cost for option Two would be $17,346,524.

Anyone interested in viewing the floor plans, or who would like their opinion heard, is encouraged to attend Thursday evening’s meeting at Mentone Elementary (see related).