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Blue Springs, MO —
Although the bond issue election in Blue Springs is a month away, preliminary plans are under way for the various construction projects so that if successful, work can begin right away.
“We are by no mean inferring that the bond issue will pass,” said Superintendent Paul Kinder at Monday’s Blue Springs Board of Education meeting. “But there is a lot of preliminary work to do so that we can hit the ground running right after the election.”
A $20 million bond issue is on the April 2 ballot in Blue Springs. If approved, about $14 million would go toward safety and security improvements throughout the district. The remaining $6 million would go toward additional facility renovations. The bond issue would not raise taxes.
A majority of the security upgrades would go toward securing the entrances at almost half of the district’s buildings. This includes Daniel Young, Franklin Smith, James Lewis, Sunny Pointe, Voy Spears, William Bryant and William Yates elementary schools; Brittany Hill, Sunny Vale, Moreland Ridge and Delta Woods middle schools and the Blue Springs Freshman Center.
These changes will largely involve changing the entryway to force visitors through the front office before gaining access to the rest of the building.
Preliminary architectural renderings were presented of what is being referred to as “the big five” or the four middle schools and the Freshman Center. Because of where the front offices are situated in these buildings, major changes, including additions, will have to be made to make the front entry more secure.
Deputy Superintendent Bill Cowling said the entry will look similar at all five facilities. Visitors would be forced through the front office upon entering the school. However, a number of turns will have to be made before reaching the main hallway. This, he said, will provide additional security from intruders.
“We believe turning multiple times will mitigate someone who wishes to do harm,” he said. “We are really asking our design teams to exploit the advantages of each building, while reducing the negatives.”
Cowling said impact resistant materials, such as brick, are being added to the exterior of the buildings as well. In some cases this means extending the brick up to add additional protection to students sitting in the commons or cafeteria area. In addition, a focus is being placed on the “three second rule.”
“Those sitting in the front office have three seconds to do a visual screen of visitors coming into the building. It is a process we do every day,” he said. “We want to be able to use glass to allow the front office to see even further out from the school at who is entering the building.”
Aside from the safety and security enhancements, the bond issue would fund several renovation projects. These include upgrading the media center at the Freshman Center as well as renovating the science classrooms to allow for biology. The multipurpose areas at James Lewis, James Walker and Sunny Pointe would also be renovated and the playground surfaces at the elementary schools would be replaced.
Although the bond issue election in Blue Springs is a month away, preliminary plans are under way for the various construction projects so that if successful, work can begin right away.
“We are by no mean inferring that the bond issue will pass,” said Superintendent Paul Kinder at Monday’s Blue Springs Board of Education meeting. “But there is a lot of preliminary work to do so that we can hit the ground running right after the election.”
A $20 million bond issue is on the April 2 ballot in Blue Springs. If approved, about $14 million would go toward safety and security improvements throughout the district. The remaining $6 million would go toward additional facility renovations. The bond issue would not raise taxes.
A majority of the security upgrades would go toward securing the entrances at almost half of the district’s buildings. This includes Daniel Young, Franklin Smith, James Lewis, Sunny Pointe, Voy Spears, William Bryant and William Yates elementary schools; Brittany Hill, Sunny Vale, Moreland Ridge and Delta Woods middle schools and the Blue Springs Freshman Center.
These changes will largely involve changing the entryway to force visitors through the front office before gaining access to the rest of the building.
Preliminary architectural renderings were presented of what is being referred to as “the big five” or the four middle schools and the Freshman Center. Because of where the front offices are situated in these buildings, major changes, including additions, will have to be made to make the front entry more secure.
Deputy Superintendent Bill Cowling said the entry will look similar at all five facilities. Visitors would be forced through the front office upon entering the school. However, a number of turns will have to be made before reaching the main hallway. This, he said, will provide additional security from intruders.
“We believe turning multiple times will mitigate someone who wishes to do harm,” he said. “We are really asking our design teams to exploit the advantages of each building, while reducing the negatives.”
Cowling said impact resistant materials, such as brick, are being added to the exterior of the buildings as well. In some cases this means extending the brick up to add additional protection to students sitting in the commons or cafeteria area. In addition, a focus is being placed on the “three second rule.”
“Those sitting in the front office have three seconds to do a visual screen of visitors coming into the building. It is a process we do every day,” he said. “We want to be able to use glass to allow the front office to see even further out from the school at who is entering the building.”
Aside from the safety and security enhancements, the bond issue would fund several renovation projects. These include upgrading the media center at the Freshman Center as well as renovating the science classrooms to allow for biology. The multipurpose areas at James Lewis, James Walker and Sunny Pointe would also be renovated and the playground surfaces at the elementary schools would be replaced.
