WARREN SCHOOLS Firms stress involving community in plans

Fourteen firms submitted proposals and the list was whittled to four.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Representatives from two of the four firms looking to work with the school district in its new building plan emphasized the importance of community involvement in the process.
The district has been in line the last couple of years to receive money from the state through the Ohio School Facilities Commission for a building project. The project is estimated at between $180 million and $190 million, and the state will pay 80 percent.
The remainder of the money needed would have to come from local sources such as a bond issue.
School officials don't know when the money will come through, but they are trying to lay the groundwork with a plan in place when it does.
Fourteen architectural firms submitted proposals to the board's facilities committee, which narrowed the list to four by evaluating credentials and experience. James Russo, district business manager, and board members Linda Metzendorf and Nick Frankos Sr. are on that committee.
The full board is interviewing the four firms and will rate them and negotiate with the top firm to determine if a cost for services can be agreed upon.
The committee heard Wednesday from Warren City Schools Architects Collaborative and Hanahan-Strollo & amp; Associates of Youngstown.
About the groups
Warren City Schools Architects Collaborative formed about 11/2 years ago and has representatives from Ricciuti-Balog & amp; Partners Architects of Youngstown; Phillips/Sekanick Architects Inc. and Baker, Bednar & amp; Associates, both of Warren; Moody-Nolan Ltd. of Columbus; and Ruth Lester Associates and Bacik, Karpinski Associates, both of Cleveland.
The collaborative incorporated and opened an office downtown.
The other firm has representatives from Hanahan-Strollo, MS Consultants of Youngstown and Perkins Will, which has offices all over the country.
Board members questioned the firms about working with the district in trying to pass a bond issue.
Ruth Lester, who is part of the collaborative group, said she has worked on several successful school bond issues including McDonald, Liberty, Newton Falls and Lisbon.
She said she would develop a marketing plan to pass the issue and involve focus groups to determine what the community wants.
Volunteer involvement
Ernie Husarik, a former school superintendent who is working with the Hanahan-Strollo/MS group, said that in successful passage of bond issues where he was superintendent, district officials changed their way of thinking and involved a lot of volunteers.
"We found out who the voters were and built a real support base," he said.
Gregg Strollo of the Hanahan-Strollo/MS group said the firm would have a group of people to work with the board and community group working to pass a bond issue.
OSFC has recommended a plan to build eight elementary schools, two middle schools and a high school and to renovate Western Reserve Middle School.
The district now has Warren G. Harding High School, three middle schools and 12 elementaries.
District officials proposed an alternative plan earlier this year that OSFC also approved. The district's proposal includes a new high school and three new kindergarten-through-eighth-grade buildings in three quadrants of the city.
In the fourth quadrant, Reserve would be renovated and used as a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade building.
Although both proposals include building a new high school, there has been discussion about preserving Harding.
Wants to keep it
Paul Ricciuti, of the collaborative group, said that group would like to retain the old school building, which was built in the 1920s.
"It's one of the finest high school designs from Cleveland to Pittsburgh," he said. "You have to go to Columbus to find a school building that equals it architecturally."
Some areas of the school could be demolished while others are renovated. OSFC has a policy of recommending a new building in place of an old one if the renovation cost exceeds by two-thirds the cost of new construction. But Ricciuti said the commission also tries to maintain historical schools.
The board interviewed the first firm, Sear-Brown, which has offices in Cleveland and across the country, last month. The final firm, Fanning/Howey of Columbus, is to be interviewed tonight.