MORAN — It’s been nearly 30 years since Marmaton Valley voters have been asked to approve any kind of construction project.
They may be asked again soon, perhaps as early as November.
More than 230 USD 256 patrons — including some who live outside the district — recently completed surveys to gauge their support on a number of potential improvements, most focused on facilities and infrastructure.
The results, shared last week with Board of Education members, will shape discussions in the coming weeks as the district sizes up a potential bond election.
The scope of the proposed improvements, and the correlating price tag, will be determined as the district visits with architects and engineers, said Superintendent of Schools Kim Ensminger.
There’s plenty to consider.
The elementary school, built in 1937, and high school, constructed in 1952, have been updated through the years, most recently in 1997-98, Ensminger noted.
But some portions of their utility infrastructure — water and sewer lines, for example — likely still date back to when the schools were first built.
Therein lies another potential hiccup.
While the high school has an underground tunnel system to access its utility lines, “the elementary school does not have that luxury,” Ensminger said. “We’re going to have to wait and see what the engineers tell us.
“We have some cast iron pipes that are wearing out,” she continued. “And over the past two years, we’ve been having to address steam pipes that feed our boiler. And we know if the steam lines are in trouble, our plumbing and sewer lines are in trouble, too. They’ve gone far beyond their life span.”
And while the district has improved its climate-control systems through the years, those, too, are nearing the age of their expected efficient life spans.
OTHER signs of advanced age are more visible.
Entering the science classroom is akin to being transported back to the 1950s, with original lab equipment still in use.
Ensminger’s focus turned, once again, to the water and gas lines hidden from view in the science room.
“Think of all the years students have poured chemicals down those drains,” she noted.
The school’s old gymnasium does not have air-conditioning, and its auditorium still has the original lighting and curtains (both have seen better days) and its sound system is practically nonexistent.
