District: Edwards Needs Bigger Building, New Site. Will Voters Approve?

proposed for replacement in Tuesday's April 3 bond referendum, has ground water that leaks into its boiler room, a second floor music room that fails to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and asbestos in some building materials, according to the State of the District Properties Report.

There isn't enough room to expand on site so StruXture Architects has recommended building a new school on the district's Miller Avenue site. A new three-section building was estimated to cost $12.3 million in May 2011. It's one of three new buildings proposed for the district.

According to school district facilities documents, Edwards Elementary opened in 1952. A 1995 addition allowed the district to move the art room from the flooding basement to the main level. The 40,450 square-foot school currently supports two sections each for kindergarten through fifth grade.

According to a school facilities report on the state of the building ground water leaks into the boiler room, the second floor music room does not meet ADA requirements and asbestos is present in some building materials. The same document states that the roof is in good shape, the boilers were replaced about 15 years ago and the building uses window air conditioners for cooling. According to current plans Edwards would be replaced with a new three-section building on Miller Avenue in the spring of 2013 if voters say yes.

The April 3 ballot question follows below:

“Shall the Board of Directors of the Ames Community Schools in the County of Story, State of Iowa, be authorized to contract indebtedness and issue General Obligation Bonds in an amount not to exceed $55,000,000 to provide funds to build, furnish, and equip elementary school buildings and improve the sites therefore at the District property on the current Fellows Elementary site, the current Meeker Elementary site, and District property on Miller Avenue; and to reconstruct, repair, improve, remodel, furnish and equip the Mitchell and Sawyer elementary buildings and sites?”