Board seeks input about buildings

For now, the board wants residents' informal feelings about district buildings.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HOWLAND -- The board of education wants to gauge public sentiment on what the school district's facilities should be in the long term.
The effort may take the form of a professional survey to get an accurate reflection from residents, but perhaps not until next year, said Barbara Wright, board president.
The board met Wednesday with representatives of R.P. Carbone Co., a Cleveland-based construction company that also performs surveys for school districts about building needs.
Wright said that Carbone asked to meet with the board rather than the board soliciting a company presentation. She noted that other survey companies will make presentations to the board.
Howland school boards have discussed off and on for about 10 years the possibility of constructing a new high school to replace the current school built in 1949.
"Citizen ownership" of any campaign to fund a construction project is very important, H. Doyle Davidson, Carbone education specialist, told the board.
Here's the situation
Wright explained that any survey at this time is premature.
"We don't want people to think we have a plan, which is not the case," cautioned board member Warner Bacak.
Board member Scott Lehman warned against getting the casual sentiment of residents. A special-interest group, he suggested, might provide a knee-jerk reaction that would skew the community's actual feelings.
The current board has established various committees to look to the district's future in many areas, including buildings and maintenance, finance, curriculum and technology.
Superintendent John Rubesich said the committees will be meeting to talk about future construction, if any.
The board will also use in-house publications to get the word out that it wants public comment.
Dominic G. Carbone, Carbone's vice president of business development, said a survey will cost between $7,500 and $12,500. The survey of 400 to 500 residents and its evaluation would take about a month.
One of the difficulties, Davidson explained, is that once the public becomes aware of such board interest, the public has the preconception that a building will be constructed.
That's not true, Davidson said, adding that one survey Carbone did found that residents liked the way the district was and didn't want any change.
"We all want what the community wants," Rubesich said.
yovich@vindy.com