Project Videos
Future Planning for Facilities
Documents for Download
Facilities Rental Fees Announced March 1st and Effective August 1st, 2025
May BOE Meeting Presentation
May 8, 2024 Community Forum Facilities Plan Update
AUDIO RECORDING
Presentation:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OOo64rFSwx9rTxqj0Z74LkzEDv7ZZMTf/view?usp=sharing
Photos:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HU77Tu2HuBG05uJp2WkTnM51AFvC692S?usp=sharing
Community Forum summary from ThenDesign Architecture
On May 8th, Avon Lake City Schools hosted a Community Forum in the Learwood Middle School auditorium to provide updates on the facility planning process. Joined by Cheryl Fisher and Ryan Schmit from ThenDesign Architecture and attended by over 60 interested community members and streamed online, the team provided an inside view of recent planning efforts. Superintendent Joelle Magyar and TDA representatives then answered questions about the current facilities master plan and how it will impact the district in the future.
“One of our main goals was costs savings, this was clear to us from the district’s recent community survey and a big priority during this process,” commented educational planner Cheryl Fisher during the presentation. “We knew we still wanted space for growth but focused on bringing the square footage in-line with the district’s recently updated enrollment projections.”
This meant that while the building arrangements were similar, sizes within the buildings could be streamlined.
The new plan includes:
- A new 6-8 Middle School on the Learwood site
- A new PreK-5 Elementary at the Troy site
- A new K-5 Elementary at the Eastview Site
- Select renovations at Avon Lake High School
- Abatement and Demolition of the schools
This new plan allows for greater cost savings and efficiency in district operations. “What are we looking to do differently than the plan in November 2023?” asked Superintendent Magyar, “This bond issue was scaled back significantly, it is $15 million dollars less.” It was accomplished by “right sizing” the arrangement of the new buildings. “We can now focus on putting the majority of the preschool program onto one site.” This allows the staff to work most efficiently for that program, instead of needing to travel between buildings and eliminate duplicated spaces.
Moving forward, the Board of Education will need to take 2 votes in the coming months, with all details being completed by August 7th for a November bond issue.
In order to continue with community engagement leading up to November 2024, district leaders will be hosting “Coffee Talks” through the community. The intent is to answer questions and provide factual information on the plan, current operations and how this arrangement could benefit students in Avon Lake City Schools. Dates and locations will be released in the next several weeks.
Building A Legacy, Winter 2024 Survey Results
- Project FAQ's (last updated 10/29/23)
- If you have any questions, comments, or feedback on the project, please email them.
Power Point Link from September 28 Community Forum
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ThLENKfjI8bzxxWozRN8SNRKJwmuShQU/view?usp=sharing
Video Link from September 28 Community Forum:
PROJECT MILESTONES
September, 2024
2024 Permanent Improvements and Other Projects (Presented at Regular Board Meeting, 9/17/24) This annual presentation is a summary of PI projects (parking lots, sidewalk repairs, etc.) and other projects (classroom moves/upgrades, major repairs, etc.) completed or in progress between January and early September, 2024. The challenges on our campuses remain (major infrastructure such as roofing, HVAC systems, and more continue to experience problems and/or fail).
September, 2023
2023 Permanent Improvements and Other Projects (Presented at Regular Board Meeting, 9/12/23) This annual presentation is a summary of PI projects (parking lots, sidewalk repairs, etc.) and other projects (classroom moves/upgrades, major repairs, etc.) completed or in progress between January and early September, 2023. Of note this year were two factors: First, in many cases, we were able to partner with school PTAs, booster groups, and other organizations to complete initiatives. Second, challenges on our campuses remain significant (roofing, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, etc.)
July, 2023
BOE Passes Resolution Placing Bond Issue on November 7 Election Ballot
May, 2023
Link to YouTube Recording of Forum
February, 2023
Link to YouTube Recording of Forum
November, 2022
A community forum about the proposed facilities project was held on November 10, 2022.
Community Forum Meeting Recording
October, 2022
A group of Avon Lake teachers, administrators and parents accompanied representatives from Fanning Howey to visit four different school sites. The schools were all PK-5 elementary or 6-8 middle schools. Photos from the site visits.
At the October BOE meeting, a summary of the enrollment projections was shared.
Enrollment Projections Summary
October 2022 Facilities Committee School Site Visit Photos
2022 Permanent Improvements and Other Projects (Presented at Regular Board Meeting, 10/11/22) This presentation is a summary of PI projects (parking lots, the caboose, major equipment upgrades, etc.) and other projects (classroom moves/upgrades, major repairs, etc.) completed or in progress between January and early October, 2022. A summary of grant funding received is included on the last slide. Several opportunities were available this year that have not been available in the past and we tried to take advantage of that.
September, 2022
The faculties planning committee met to discuss next steps in the project. Visioning for staff, and a community forum will be held in November. Site visits to newly constructed elementary and middle schools will occur in October.
August, 2022
The district commissioned FutureThink to complete an updated enrollment study.
June, 2022
At the June 7th regular Board meeting, the Board approved Fanning Howey's pricing proposal "for the necessary design and related construction administration services" for the District-wide facilities project. The District is now authorized to execute an agreement with Fanning Howey to provide pre-bond services to the District. These services include things like site visits and assessments, stakeholder meetings, and more.
April, 2022
At the April 12th regular Board meeting, the Board approved Fanning Howey as the most qualified firm (see March 2022 for RFQ information). The Superintendent is now authorized to receive a pricing proposal from Fanning Howey for pre-bond services. This proposal will be presented to the Board of Education at an upcoming Board meeting. Click here for the Chronicle-Telegram article about this news.
March, 2022
Based on the work of the facilities committee, the District published a Request for Qualifications (linked above) for pre-bond issuance services for a potential District-wide improvements project. As part of this process, the District will receive statements of qualifications from architectural firms, short list a few firms with whom to conduct follow-up interviews, and make a recommendation to the Board regarding next steps. The tentative timeline is to make that recommendation at the regular Board meeting in April. The District's facilities committee has played a key role in providing a solid foundation for the RFQ process, and the work of the committee is to be commended.
February, 2022
In May of 2021, the Avon Lake City Schools formed a committee to begin the task at looking at the state of our facilities. This coincided with a report from the Ohio Facilities Construction Committee (OFCC) identifying specific information related to the physical state of our schools. The committee consists of 39 individuals representing parents, staff, community members and a representative from the BOE. Stay tuned to this page for more information.
2021 Permanent Improvements and Other Projects (Presented at Regular Board Meeting, 11/2/21)
This is a presentation that would typically occur in August or September, following the conclusion of summer permanent improvement (PI) projects. It was moved due to COVID-related discussions and other presentations. The presentation is a summary of PI projects (parking lots, athletic facilities, interior lighting upgrades, etc.) and other projects (moving Open Door back to Learwood, etc.) completed or in progress between 3/1 and 11/2/21. Several of these projects were directly aligned with needs as identified in the OFCC Facility Assessment Report (see below).
Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) Assessment - Summary (Presented at Regular Board Meeting, 4/13/21)
The full OFCC Assessment was completed in December, 2020. It included a shorter overview document and a longer (~500 pages) Facility Assessment Report. This linked presentation was meant to provide a concise summary of the assessment. It is important to note that the dollar figures referenced in the assessment and summary reflect a renovation estimate to bring each building up to new construction standards (as of December, 2020) and should not be interpreted to mean that the renovations are mandatory. This is how the OFCC figures the "renovation to replacement ratio," which is meant to provide guidance and to help have conversations with the community regarding the long-term plan for the district's facilities.
