Keewaydin addition will go south

Park board working to figure out what to do about the playground, wading pool that will be displaced

by Tesha M. Christensen

What will the $16 million addition at Keewaydin look like? Community members looked at a preliminary design for the first time on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012.

While the design presented will be refined over the next three months, the decision has been made to build to the south of the building. This will displace the wading pool and playgrounds currently on the property. However, it means that the baseball and soccer fields will remain untouched.

Community member Michele Honderick stated that in this tough economic time, “We cannot afford to actually replace the equipment we already have in place.” She asked why the decision to build south was made, and expressed support for an addition on the east.

Minneapolis Park Board Planner Jennifer Ringold explained why the park department supported a school addition on the south side, even though it means displacing the existing playground and wading pool. “This wasn’t an easy decision,” she said.

Ringold noted that the existing fields are well used. If they were moved south, it would place them too close to the park building. A playground costs about $300,000 to replace, and a wading pool about $500,000; a building is much more expensive, she said.

The lifespan of a playground is 20 years, Ringold pointed out. The existing playground, installed with funds from the school, the park and the Nokomis East Neighborhood Association, was built 13 years ago. The wading pool was installed in 1970 and is already 40 years old.

The playground and the pool “are the ones that will reach their life expectancies the fastest,” she said.

The park department held a meeting on Saturday, Jan. 21 to solicit input from community members about priorities at the park. From those comments, a new master plan for the park will be created. The new plan will be reviewed by the park board in February.

The parks department has not yet identified where the money to move and/or purchase new playground equipment and a pool will come from.

Ringold noted that as the parks department evaluates whether it can merely move the existing playground equipment, it must consider whether the equipment would survive the move. Additionally, the equipment must meet existing safety and handicap-accessible standards. The parks department had not yet determined whether the existing equipment meet those criteria, but Ringold said it was likely the items for younger children could be successfully moved.

Keewaydin Principal Jane Ellis noted that from the start, the number one issue for the building steering committee has been the playground and wading pool.

“We want that playground back,” agreed Doug Walters of the Nokomis East Neighborhood Association.

A BIGGER SCHOOL

Keewaydin’s space will double with the new addition. As presented on Jan. 19, the majority of the $16 million available for the project will be used to construct new space. Targeted areas in the existing structure will be remodeled. Work will start as soon as this school year ends and be finished the summer of 2013.

A key part of the plan is that there will be an educational wing and a public wing. The education wing (located in the existing structure) can be locked at night when the performance space and gymnasium in the addition are being used.

“Our goal is to create 21st century middle school-grade classrooms and instructional spaces,” observed Dave Richards, a Minneapolis Public Schools capital planning staff member.

“What we’re doing here is we’re closing the gap,” explained Richards. “The gap has widened in the recent years.” The school will be brought up to current Educational Index Improvement standards with this project. Richards noted that the age of the kids served in the building has changed since it was constructed in 1928, as well as the programs themselves. One example is performance spaces. Whereas once they were only found in high school, now they are included in middle schools.

An audience member questioned whether there are enough students to warrant an addition. Richards remarked that the 2010 Census data shows that enrollment is increasing. “There are simply more kids in the area,” he said.

Will taxes rise because of this project? The cost will be paid by bonds, Richards explained. “The impact on property taxes will be zero.”

He added that changes to school buildings within the Minneapolis Public School system has never negatively affected property values of homes next to them.

Keewaydin parent and project steering committee member Jay Larson pointed out that the biggest issue in planning meetings has been the existing 84- by 50-foot gymnasium. “It’s very hard to teach students in this space,” remarked Keewadin Athletic Director Jennifer Dowzak. The new addition will include a competition-size gym that can be divided into two areas. It will seat 250 spectators.

“The goal is much more than an educational building,” stated Jay Larson. “It’s an opportunity for this community to come together.”

Matt Musich’s son attends Keewaydin. “I’m really excited about this project,” he stated. “This is an investment in our community for the long term.”

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SIDEBAR

Highlights of the school project

Architect Elena Peltsman of RSP Architects presented preliminary details of the project design during the Jan. 19 community meeting. Highlights include:

• The new addition will not be taller than the existing building, but will be about 30 to 31 feet tall.

• Based on the request of the student council, there will be a commons area for students to hang out in.

• The existing courtyard will be enclosed rather than filled in so that the classroom will retain natural light from the windows facing the courtyard.

• The administration area will be moved to the new facility, next to the new entrance to serve as gatekeepers and increase safety and security at the school.

• A designated bus area will be carved out of the east side of the building to ease traffic and congestion concerns on the street.

• Bathrooms will be part of the addition that will be big enough to serve the gym and performance space. It is not yet know if the existing bathrooms will be remodeled.

• The existing parking lots on both the north and the south will remained; the south side will be expanded slightly from 20 parking spots to 28.

• On the south side of the building, a hard surface play area with basketball hoops will be constructed. In the future, that space could be used for another addition, possibly as parks and recreation space.

• The existing gym will become a general music room.

• The current kitchen and lunchroom will be turned into an art room.

• The performance space and gym will be located in the center of the building so that rooms on the edges of the building can take advantage of window space. 

This story printed in the February edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger. http://longfellownokomismessenger.com/