Portable classrooms at South Tama High School in Tama are reported to have reached the end of their usefulness and are in need of replacement. Chronicle photos/John Speer

The South Tama School Board met with Nick Hildebrand with Struxture Architects of Waterloo and Travis Squires, senior vice president of Piper Jaffrey from Des Moines on Thursday night, June 11, to discuss building plans for the future building needs of the district.

Portable buildings have been used since 1987 for four classroom spaces. It is reported it has come to a point where it is not feasible to use them any longer. As a result, the board is looking for information to solve this present problem.

Financing

Squires, representing Piper Jaffrey, gave ideas of how to finance the different phases of the expansion. He included a PPEL fund, grants, sales tax option, donations and bonds,

Hildebrand presented several different pictures of options for the different phases.

The interior of one of four portable classrooms at the South Tama High School which have been in use for the past 28 years. The rooms are in a pair of buildings located west of the present two-story education wing.

The board wants to divide the expansion into phases and Phase I would include the expansion of the building to replace the portables. This would provide space for one on one teaching, completely open classrooms. Hildebrand had suggested a two-story wing to the present building.

There are currently 1,523 students in the South Tama System.

It was suggested a nine-classroom addition of 17,515 square feet at $195 per square foot.

This would be done in three or four phases, depending on financing. Cost for Phase I would be $5,585,919.

Board members said they wanted time to study all phases and to study the impact on the community as well as the school.

No decisions have yet been reached.