WARREN School builders appease parents

A stall and sink were added to restrooms at one school.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Prompted by parents' concerns, architects for the new city schools project added restrooms at the two new kindergarten through eighth-grade buildings for which designs have been unveiled.
The two designs for schools at the Lincoln and McGuffey sites allow for separation of elementary and middle school pupils throughout the day.
The district is building five kindergarten through eighth-grade buildings and a new high school as part of the Ohio School Facilities Commission project. The $170 million project is being funded 80 percent with OSFC money, with a bond issue passed by voters last year covering the remaining costs.
Some parents and school officials were concerned last month about inadequate restrooms when architects discussed the tentative designs.
Kent Underwood of Fanning-Howey, the firm contracted for the building project, said that in response to those concerns, a stall and sink were added in three restrooms at the Lincoln site. "That's the equivalent to one restroom," Underwood said.
An unspecified number of restrooms also have been added at the McGuffey location.
A meeting is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday to review changes made at the McGuffey school site.
Working out kinks
"The positioning of McGuffey continues to be a problem," said Linda Metzendorf, board president.
When discussed at a meeting last month, the design had the front of the school facing Dunstan Drive rather than Tod Avenue, which the school fronts.
"I want the public to know that nothing is etched in stone when it comes to design," board member Nedra Bowen said at a school board meeting this week.
Underwood has said that the design for each of the K-8 buildings is 95 percent the same, but that each school building will be an expression of the community.
Each building will include separate entrances for the elementary and middle school pupils and wings assigned to the various grades.
All pupils will share common areas, including the dining area, music and art rooms, media center and gymnasium, but scheduling will enable separation of younger pupils from older.
There will be separate entrances for buses and parents to drop pupils off in front of the schools.