A committee made up of Trussville City School employees, city leaders and parents will meet Wednesday afternoon at 3:30 pm to hear a presentation on two potential elementary school sites and rate both of them. The meeting will take place at the TCS Central Office and the public is invited to attend.
A new elementary school would relieve the overcrowding of the Paine schools and eliminate modular buildings which have housed students since before the city system separated from Jefferson county seven years ago. There are currently 300 children in portables at the school.
The committee will hear from an architect who will present designs for both sites. Each design is expected to include all of the same elements, so committee members can make an even comparison.
The two sites under consideration are the old middle school next to the football stadium which sits on six acres and a 39 acre site near the Magnolia South subdivision. Renovations to the former middle school would match the design of a new school in terms of size and amenities.
The group will judge each area and design based on location, interior design, parking for faculty and staff, overflow parking, traffic flow, playground areas, energy efficiency, bathrooms, and operating cost.
The school system has been preparing a map which shows where all K-5 students currently live to be presented to the committee. TCS superintendent Dr. Pattie Neill has also requested that parents with young children not currently enrolled in school contact the central office with their family data. Parents can see the contact information here.
Both locations will include all of the basics expected in any elementary school such as classrooms, cafeteria, bathrooms, gymnasiums and a library. One interesting element is that both designs will include a reinforced area that could serve as a bomb or storm shelter
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Committee members are Dr. Neill, Mayor Gene Melton, Danny Garrett, Betsy Schmitt, Beth Bruno, Phyllis Faust, Ammie Akin, Jim Kirkland, Jerry Cataldo, Sandra Vernon, Gina Curtis, Molly Schappacher, and Holly Batusic.
Dr. Neill said a series of community town hall style meetings will follow tomorrow’s committee meeting to gain input from residents.