School board looks to consultant on Asa Wood

Libby School Board members don’t all agree on how to address the problem of an aging Asa Wood elementary school building, but they did agree Monday that a professional would be able to provide the best and most objective answer.

“We have to either build or remodel,” board member Paula Darko-Hensler said during a work session on Monday. “It’s one or the other, and a consultant will be able to tell us what’s best.”

The board took no formal action Monday to hire a consultant because it was a work session, but agreed to put the idea on the agenda for next week’s general board meeting.

Superintendent Kirby Maki put in for a $12 million federal appropriation for fiscal year 2009 to build a new school and, instead, received $390,995 for its planning and preparation. The planning money is a good sign that next year the district will receive at least partial funding for a new building, Maki said.   

“I followed that up in 2010 for another $12 million,” he said. “So hopefully if they gave us planning money, they would give us some money for construction.”

Board member Tony Rebo, who is also facility manager at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital, pointed out how helpful a consultant was in deciding whether or not to build a new hospital. The consultant objectively looked at all the specific possibilities, answered the hospital’s many questions and backed up answers with numbers and estimates.

The hospital’s consultant cost about $125,000, he said, though it was very thorough and on board for 2-1/2 years.

“The school’s consultant doesn’t have to be that detailed,” he said.

The board threw out questions about whether or not declining enrollment numbers will someday allow the district to lump Libby students into just two schools. Board member Lee Disney said he’s not convinced that Libby needs a brand new elementary school.

“I’m not in favor of moving forward with the idea of ‘build it and they will come,’” Disney said. “I count five buildings that this district has closed … and our enrollment is still declining.”

Disney acknowledged that a consultant would be able to answer the board’s many questions.

“I think a feasibility study is probably a good idea,” he said. “I’m not sold that we need a new building. … If we could get all these ideas, we could take it to them and have them tell us whether or not it’s a good idea.”

In past meetings, the board agreed that they wanted to find a resolution – remodeling, building new or some other solution – within three to four years.

Maki believes that the district needs to build a new school and is hopeful that it will receive the $12 million appropriation.

“The school is old and not suited for little kids and has multiple problems,” Maki said. “It’s not cost effective (to remodel) from my viewpoint. If we get the 2010 appropriation in February or March – gosh, we’d be ready to start (construction) in the spring.”