By deciding to only move the 5th & 6th grade classes up to the MS/HS building in 2006 they had made a firm commitment to using the current elementary building for the foreseeable future. Since the original part of the building was constructed in 1952 I wanted to make sure that the board and I were on the same page when it came to upgrading the facility.
At that time the board and I agreed on three goals we wanted to see accomplished at the Tracy Street site:
- The removal of the 1916 Middle School Building.
- Improvements in the landscaping and playground at the elementary site.
- The remodeling of the interior of the original elementary building.
The one thing I didn't tell the board back in 2006, mainly because I wasn't aware of it at the time, was that these three goals were going to take some time to accomplish!
After spending four years paying for buses, roof repairs and computers we were finally able to accomplish our first goal by tearing down the middle school last summer. It was a bittersweet project as a lot of Audubon Wheeler history went down with the old building, but it still needed to be done.
This summer, we are in the final stages of finishing up goal #2, improving the landscaping and playground area around the building. The bank on the north side is now gone, the broken up asphalt playground has been removed and new playground equipment installed. A new bus drop-off area has been added on the west side to improve student safety and all new sidewalks have been poured around the entire property. The final project won't truly be complete until we have grass growing and new trees planted but mother nature will have the last word about when that will happen!!
Although we have been slowly working on goal #3 during the past two summers by installing all new exterior doors and windows, the summer of 2014 is when we hope to complete our final goal by remodeling the interior of the original elementary building insuring that it will continue to be a safe, clean, modern educational facility for the next generation of Wheelers. Keep watching for updates as plans are finalized and preparations are made for a very busy summer in 2014.
My hope is that next year at this time I'll be able to title this post, "Three out of Three!"
