BOARDMAN SCHOOLS Building upgrades take time

Voters might be asked in November to OK borrowing money for the projects.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- The process to improve buildings in the school district won't be rushed.
"We're taking this very, very slowly," said school Superintendent Frank Lazzeri. "We're trying to do our homework and be fiscally cautious."
Earlier this month, the school board voted to use three area architectural firms to study the school buildings and make recommendations for their improvements and estimated costs.
Strollo Architects Inc. of Youngstown will study options for the high school auxiliary gymnasium, Market Street Elementary and the football stadium.
The 4M Company of Boardman will focus on Stadium Drive and Robinwood Lane elementary schools.
Olsavsky-Jaminet Architects of Youngstown will handle Boardman Glenwood and Center middle schools and West Boulevard Elementary.
Assessing needs
Lazzeri said that the firms are meeting with building facility teams, parents and teachers to determine what's needed. After that, they'll finalize plans and develop a cost estimate that will be presented to the school board.
The board then will decide whether to borrow the money to do any of the projects. The money would be borrowed through the sale of bonds. If that happens, a bond issue would likely be on the November ballot, the superintendent said.
The district's last bond issue was on the ballot in the late 1960s.
The ages of the district's seven buildings range from Boardman Center Middle School, built in 1911, to the 37-year-old high school.
Some needs identified through meetings among parents, teachers and administrators include additional classrooms at the middle and elementary schools, renovating the football stadium, fixing water problems at Market Street and West Boulevard elementary schools and an auxiliary gymnasium at the high school.
About 20 companies responded to an advertisement the district ran late last year for qualified professional design services for design and construction, additions, remodeling, renovation, rehabilitation, equipping and improving all of the buildings and facilities.