Town Council to Discuss Uses for Dormant JFK School

The Town Council will meet in Executive Session tonight to discuss the possible future leasing of the John F. Kennedy School on West Main Road.

The dormant JFK school facility has not housed Grades Kindergarten through 4 for more than a year since the school department consolidated schools last year due to enrollment drops for that district and budget constraints, and absorbed grades K to 3 into the Aquidneck and Forest Avenue elementary schools and separated Grade 4 as a new Learning Academy in a facility shared with the Gaudet Middle School.

"Generating revenue is a good idea so long as the school remains intact for possible re-use for education," said School Committee member Theresa M. Silveira Spengler at the recent school board meeting, a sentiment echoed by other board members and school department administrators.

According to school officials late last week, no discussions had been underway with the town and no plans had been introduced yet to lease the JFK school out as revenue generator for the town.

Both Spengler and Superintendent Rosemarie K. Kraeger said the facility could be called into service again to house classrooms if the state mandates pre-kindergarten education, an ongoing topic of discussion, or if enrollment numbers in Kindergarten through Grade 3 sees a marginal increase again. The School Department has seen enrollment numbers on the rise this year throughout all grades, with final figures to be reported Oct. 1.

The School Department has continued to maintain the space in the event it's needed again to house teachers and students, said school Facilities Director Edward Collins. The facility has continued to be used for limited purposes, said Kraeger, noting that it has been used for such activities as the schools' Robotics Team meeting space and, for the public, most recently was utilized as a Polling Site in the Sept. 14 Primary Election.

Also on the agenda tonight, during the closed Executive Session, the Town Council is also scheduled to discuss the lease involving the Crown Castle cell phone tower.

In Public Session, scheduled agenda items include more changes to the new Aquidneck Elementary School parking lot after Town Engineers expressed concerns for street run-off from the recent lot expansion project, end-of-year Second Beach Campground business and concerns raised by seasonal residents, approximately $1.2 million in 2010 beach revenues generated this year, motor vehicle excise taxes, the imminent closure and road work for Hanging Rock Road, and more.

The Town Council meets tonight in public session scheduled for 7 pm at Middletown Town Hall, 350 E. Main Road, preceded by a closed session at 6 pm. Download a copy of the agenda and full docket here at Patch at right, or visit the Town of Middletown website.