School Changes

[srkruzich]

try again.
Dahlonega Mint:  When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, the Dahlonega Mint was seized by the Confederates. It is believed that after the Confederates took over the mint in 1861, that some gold dollars and half eagles were minted under the authority of the Confederate States Government. The exact number of 1861 D Gold dollars produced is unknown, while approximately 1597 1861 D half eagles were struck. Because of their relatively low mintage, all Dahlonega-minted gold coins are rare. It is generally accepted that Gold coins estimated to exceed $6 million were minted here. The building that housed the Dahlonega Mint was destroyed by fire in 1878. It was never rebuilt and the mint ceased production permanently.

Try again, the building is standing right on south main street.  Wasn't destroyed.  I have worked in the building as well as taken my classes in the building.  The original oak wood planks for the flooring is still being used in bottom level. 

This is the Dahlonega Mint. 




Your point is noted, but I can only assume that you aren't wrong just talk about the wrong building...  maybe you forgot.  The other point I would like to make is that this building was something built by tax dollars, closed by war, retooled for another purpose, closed by fire, retooled for a purpose of ashes.  But lets assume you are right.  The education that goes on in the existing building didn't start out to be its primary purpose.  Times change.  There used to be a school house every six miles.  The population density is different now. 

Instead of using our limited resources for maintenance we have been keeping two parallel programs going.  We didn't forgo the repairs because it was a better choice, we did it to appease the community.  They thought it was more important to educate the students. 

I can lone you these Encyclopedia Britanicas since I read them once I don't use them any more. 
[/quote]

[pepelect]

It has changed then.  Probably after it burned down.

[srkruzich]

I can lone you these Encyclopedia Britanicas since I read them once I don't use them any more. 

Lone Me??  I don't think i need any help in being alone you know.  
But as far as your assertation that the Dahlonega Mint is no longer in existance, that is not the case as I have walked in its halls myself
Also found a 1938 two half eagle and a 1854 3 dollar coin from beneath the basement floorboards of the Dahlonega mint/Price building.  

Their sitting in the Gold museum on the square in the old courthouse.

[srkruzich]

It has changed then.  Probably after it burned down.

the roof design changed and it has gone through additions.  They just got through uhmm restoring the brick.  The bottom floor wasn't burned, the top floor was and was rebuilt and they added the dome on top when it was rebuilt in 187?

[pepelect]

Based solely on the picture you produced the roofing alone is more than $5.5million dollars.  It has been replaced since 1837.  I really like the old structures.  But that is not this thread.  

The point was that we need to change the priorities of the district.  Build a sound building with a sound fluid system of education.  If our needs change our facilities must change to meet the need.  Just as this fine building has had many modifications over the years so should our school buildings. 

[srkruzich]

Based solely on the picture you produced the roofing alone is more than $5.5million dollars.  It has been replaced since 1837.  I really like the old structures.  But that is not this thread.  

ROTFL it ought to be worth more than 5.5.  Its gold
So is the capitol dome of Georgia. All the gold comes from the mines there.

The point was that we need to change the priorities of the district.  Build a sound building with a sound fluid system of education.  If our needs change our facilities must change to meet the need.  Just as this fine building has had many modifications over the years so should our school buildings. 

True.  First priority if you do get the building, is to keep the Maintenance money off limits period.  Keep up the asset first.  Otherwise, education won't matter cause you won't have the resources to provide it.

[sixdogsmom]

Pep, tell me again exactly what is wrong with the Moline school? I understand that it 'might' need a third of a roof, (that was declared okay by the adjuster a few years back when we had the big hailstorm). We need some electrical outlets? You want an auditorium when we already have a multi-purpose room., (and it does have a stage).Oh yeah, it's not in Howard. Combine lunchrooms? Lay off employees? Will one lunchroom serve all district students at one time without having to increase personnel? Besides fixing breakfast? You are going to have the kindergarteners eat with the highschoolers, right?

Using the over forty years old guideline for a building, we should probably demolish the entire town of Howard, Moline, Severy, Elk Falls, and Grenola as most buildings in those towns are over forty years old. Probably inefficient, every one of them. Of course most of us have updated like this old house that is well over 100 years old. Most of us installed new wiring, efficient heating/cooling, storm windows and insulation. We paint, sweep and replace broken things as needed. I would consider a bond issue to repair both gradeschools, but I have a feeling that this was never a consideration.

[Sarah]

Pep, tell me again exactly what is wrong with the Moline school? I understand that it 'might' need a third of a roof, (that was declared okay by the adjuster a few years back when we had the big hailstorm). We need some electrical outlets? You want an auditorium when we already have a multi-purpose room., (and it does have a stage).Oh yeah, it's not in Howard. Combine lunchrooms? Lay off employees? Will one lunchroom serve all district students at one time without having to increase personnel? Besides fixing breakfast? You are going to have the kindergarteners eat with the highschoolers, right?

Using the over forty years old guideline for a building, we should probably demolish the entire town of Howard, Moline, Severy, Elk Falls, and Grenola as most buildings in those towns are over forty years old. Probably inefficient, every one of them. Of course most of us have updated like this old house that is well over 100 years old. Most of us installed new wiring, efficient heating/cooling, storm windows and insulation. We paint, sweep and replace broken things as needed. I would consider a bond issue to repair both gradeschools, but I have a feeling that this was never a consideration.

I'm staying out of the school debate, but I did want to comment that sometimes older buildings are actually more efficient than newer.  My mom and dads house which is over 100 years old is far more energy efficient with it's plaster walls than ours is which is newer. 

[Lookatmeknow!!]

PEP, please tell me this, are there guidelines when you update a school?  I think that I heard that from one of the meetings.  Didn't they look at that?  Am I wrong?

[pepelect]

No there are no guidelines you have to meet.  You can meet in a tent along side a river.    The safety of the students is never a concern when designing a school.   Come on....What do you think?

Why is one campus such a foreign concept.   If it is such a bad concept then why did almost every surrounding district start doing it years ago.  Every other surrounding district that has a lower LOB than us started by centralizing their campus.  Elk Valley, Chautauqua county, Central, Cedar Vale, Eureka.  All the students would be at the same location.  It creates opportunities that we can't not accomplish cheaply when our students are so many miles apart. It cuts expenses.

There is nothing wrong with Moline Grade School  or Severy Grade School that can not be fixed.   There is something wrong with the entire district.  We have too many buildings and not enough students.  We have two choices.  Bring in more students or downsize the building number.  I am all for shutting down the high school and moving every thing to one of the two other campus.  It would cost ten times more than what is proposed.  Are you willing to foot the bill for that?

Lay off of employees would be the same as what we did last year.  We could not afford to pay them. 

One lunchroom will serve all district students.  The students will eat just like they eat at any other school.  Breakfast and lunch are currently served at all three lunchrooms. Seniors don't necessarily eat with the seventh graders now do they?

Yes the multipurpose room has a stage but you can not seat enough people in the multipurpose part of the room to view the stage at one time.  It physically is not big enough for 200+ students, 200+ sets of parents, and chairs for them to view.  Lets say they all crammed in there.  The problem would be if there ever was a fire.  You could not egress that many people from the current configuration.  Solution don't have all school assemblies.  Have two or more programs for every event. 

We have over two hundred grade school kids now.  The current buildings are not big enough for all elementary students to be in the same building. 

Sarah you are right about older homes being more efficient than new ones but you have to qualify that by saying if you build the new house as cheap as you can.   There are many more ways now to build more efficient than any other time in history.  We have all the experience of the past to improve the new.  We are proposing building a new building not to increase square footage of the district but to decrease it.  If you would put the emotional attachment to the building aside you would see that it is better for the district with a centralized campus than the current arrangement.  We are not building just to be building.  The space needed is bigger than what is available at Severy and bigger than the space available at Moline but smaller than the two combined. 
  We did look at expanding either of the  grade schools.  But we are trying to improve the entire district not just two buildings.
If we keep the grade schools split and don't build a central campus our LOB will remain maxed out for the foreseeable future.  I am not talking about 15 years like with building a central school.  I am talking until we quit using the existing buildings. Every year they are going to need thousands of dollars of repair because of their age and type of construction.  The roof is just part of MGS buildings ills.  The SGS issues are just as numerous water line, gym ceiling and heating, gas rate,...   

The LOB was raised 4 mil.   No matter if the bond issue passes or fails the LOB will stay maxed out as long as we keep our current configuration. Only with a decrease in expenses can you lower the tax burden. 

I would agree to leaving both campus as they stand if someone can show me enough savings to lower or eliminate the LOB with out a bond issue. I have looked for years and I can't find it.