Brad Leeper of Invision Architecture chats with South Tama community members at a public input session the school district held on Nov. 9 regarding the Middle School Project. Another public meeting is set for Nov. 18 from 6:30-8 p.m. at the STC High School Commons. -- Photos by Darvin Graham

Following months of discussion, the South Tama Facilities Task Force recently brought forward two location options for the STC Middle School project.

Plans and cost estimates for the two options were presented at a public input session on the evening of Nov. 9 at the Reinig Center in Toledo. Click here to view the plans presented during the public meeting.

There will be a second public meeting on Nov. 18 from 6:30-8 p.m. at the STC High School commons in Tama where the same presentation and open forum will be made available.

An online survey is also available to provide feedback on the two project options.

One of the two options offered an 82,000 square-foot, two floor addition extending east off the front entrance of the current high school.

The district previously proposed an addition to the south of the high school utilizing the open ground previously used as ag land.

At the public meeting, officials from the project architect firm Invision indicated the reason the east front door entrance was suggested by the task force this time around was due to feedback they received after the last bond vote about concerns of high schoolers and middle schoolers co-mingling too much with with a kitchen and cafeteria space near one another and with the middle schoolers having to walk through the majority of the high school building to get to shared spaces like the fine arts areas, industrial tech and agriculture areas.

The option now being considered would provide more separation between middle schoolers and high schoolers and would give middle school students hallway access to the fine arts and exploratory areas along the north end of the building, while the high schoolers would access those spaces from the south end of the building.

Traffic flow would wrap around the building with a new entrance onto Highway 63 being constructed to service the middle school and potentially an access road to connect to the road traveling south to the elementary building.

Though the east side addition would disrupt the current front entrance of the high school, the front of the building would extend a few feet short of the current high school sign and flag pole, leaving several yards between the building and the road.

High School East Option Overview - Image courtesy of Invision

The estimated project cost for this option would be $31 million and would maintain the current property tax levy at $2.70 per $1,000 of valuation.

The district is scheduled to pay off the STC Elementary debt from construction in the mid-00s this coming spring. Should no Middle School project be approved, the payoff of the elementary building debt would likely result in a slight tax decrease as no other large capital projects are in the pipeline at South Tama other than the Middle School project.

In October the district got word from the Governor’s office that the state had renewed interest in contributing to the conveyance of the former Iowa Juvenile Home (IJH) property in Toledo to the school if they were interested in locating the middle school project there.

At a previous Board of Education meeting representatives from the STC Facilities Task Force indicated their group had close to unanimous consensus behind the middle school at the high school option until the state reached out with their offer.

At the meeting Tuesday, district officials revealed the state had offered a contribution of around $1.5 million toward the project. Half of the amount would go toward demolition of the cottage buildings and the other would come in the form of a grant or tax credit after the project was complete.

High School East Option, floor break-out -- Image courtesy of Invision

With the state contribution in mind, the Task Force brought a second project option to the public meeting Tuesday that would locate the STC Middle School at the Iowa Juvenile Home property.

The plan would offer 95,200 square feet of space that would include a full renovation of the 57,200 square-foot main school building and a 38,000 square-foot new addition extending to the north of the main building.

The IJH option features three floors of classrooms on the west wing of the old building that is over 50 years old. Full grade levels would take up separate floors of the classroom wing similar to the current tiered configuration at the middle school on Green Street.

According to Ryan Ellsworth with Estes Construction, the firm contracted as the construction manager for the project, the IJH property was assessed by the state not long after it was closed in 2014 and received a largely positive rating.

When the renovation was done to the property a few years before it was closed, Ellsworth said the mechanical systems including electric and HVAC had been updated throughout the entire campus.

High School East Option, Shared Space Graph -- Image courtesy of Invision

Should the district choose to build on the IJH property there would still remain separation of the middle school students and teachers from the rest of the district located in Tama.

Students would have less exploratory options compared to the high school expansion option where industrial technology, agriculture and family and consumer science instructors and their classrooms could be shared by middle school and high school.

The estimated cost for the IJH property option would be $25 million, which includes the contribution by the state.

Should this option be utilized a lower tax rate could still come as a result given the upcoming payoff of the elementary building debt.

Funding for either project would come from two sources. Around $11.7 million would be paid for out of sales tax dollars (SAVE) the district receives from the state.

High School East Option, Site Plan -- Image courtesy of Invision

During the 2020 bond referendum voters passed a measure to allow the school district to expend state sales tax revenue, meaning the district could utilize those funds without being required to have a ballot question.

The second funding source would be a general obligation bond (loan). Assuming the project estimates are $25 million and $31 million, the IJH property option would require a bond of around $13.25 million, while the high school east addition option would require a $19.25 million bond.

Should the Board of Education proceed with either option, voters would see one question on their ballot in March.

Though the Facilities Task Force moved two options forward to the community meeting stage, it remains unclear which is the preferred option among community members and even those within the project committee.

Feedback was mixed among the 30-40 members of the public that attended the Nov. 9 meeting with people leaning heavily in either direction.

High School East Option, Main Level -- Image courtesy of Invision

There was also feedback from individuals concerned about disrupting the front entrance of the high school.

Task force members and project officials each indicated that no option was set in stone and that if there were strong consensus expressed for or against one of the options or a component within them following the community meetings this month, changes could still be made.

At the last Board of Education meeting it appeared the district was still eyeing a December board vote to approve a project option which would lead to petitions being circulated in the community calling for a special election in March.

High School East Option, Second Level -- Image courtesy of Invision

Juvenile Home Option, Overview -- Image courtesy of Invision

Juvenile Home Option, Renovation Floor Break-Out -- Image courtesy of Invision

Juvenile Home Option, New Addition Floor Break-Out -- Image courtesy of Invision

Juvenile Home Option, Site Plan -- Image courtesy of Invision

Juvenile Home Option, Lower Level -- Image courtesy of Invision

Juvenile Home Option, Main Level -- Image courtesy of Invision

Juvenile Home Option, Upper Level -- Image courtesy of Invision

Middle School Project Comparison Chart -- Image courtesy of Invision

Tax Rate Chart based on the monthly impact of the school district moving forward with either of the two project options or not moving forward with any option. -- Image courtesy of Invision