In 2015, the Deer Park Facilities Committee came together to assess and prioritize the needs of our district facilities. This committee is made up of 6 Deer Park citizens, the Deer Park School District (DPSD) Superintendent, Deer Park’s Facilities Manager, and a School Board member. While convened, the committee determined replacement of the 6th grade and Special Education portables at the middle school to be top priority.
These portables have been in use since 1996, following the decision to transition the 6th graders from Arcadia to the Middle School. They were always intended to be a temporary solution.
Other reasons for the urgency of this renovation are to:
- Ensure that needs of the Special Education students are met according to Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA) standards
- Keep the facility current on child welfare and safety regulations
- Be prepared for anticipated population growth within our community
The DPSD hired MMEC Architecture & Interiors, owned by DPHS graduate Boyd Lusaretta, to create several designs of the intended renovation. After much consideration, they are now ready to present the final 3 choices. Travis Hanson( DPSD Superintendent) wants to stress that a final design choice will not be made until all members of the Citizens Committee, the School Board, and Staff have the opportunity to view each proposal. After the final design choice is made, the bid process should be ready to start in 2020 or 2021.
About The Funding
Mr. Hanson is also thrilled to report that the money intended to complete this particular project has been set aside in the district’s Capital Funds and it will NOT be necessary to go to the taxpayers via a bond measure or capital levy.
While the middle school project is presently the district’s main focus, a long-range facilities plan also prioritizes a few other large projects that may be addressed in a future bond measure or capital levy, they include:
- A new Transportation Building, to accommodate the demand for more buses as our community grows; 15 acres behind the High School has already been purchased for this endeavor
- Renovation and expansion of the High School Sports Complex to ensure the district meets Title 9 (prevents discrimination) regulations
- Cafeteria expansion at Arcadia and Middle School
- Replacement of 4 classroom portables at Homelink
- A Future Farmers of America (FFA) building and barn
There are some new and exciting ventures on the horizon for our school district, and if you desire to see more of this type of information, please go to the Deer Park School District website at https://www.dpsd.org/facilities-maintenance/; scroll down until you see Facilities Planning Committee.
Most people only utilize the DPSD website when looking into their child’s grades or to retrieve an email address, but assuredly, many questions can be answered just by taking a couple minutes and a few clicks; there is a wealth of information at your fingertips.
