April 12, 2022
The spring is slow to arrive, but the preparations for the improvements at all three district schools are well underway. The design phase of the projects is complete with a lot of quality time spent in design team meetings to design, redesign, and in some cases redesign, even more, to ensure the best experience for our students and staff. The design phase process started with staff touring regional school districts that have redesigned their learning spaces. The tours opened the eyes of opportunities to what the facilities can look like for the Lake Superior School District. Wold Architects and Engineers led by Sal Bagley. Her experienced team has assisted the staff in the decision-making process to ensure every space is designed in the best interest of the stakeholders. As you can imagine, there have been some difficult decisions.
With the design phase complete, the planning process will now involve user groups having the ability to assist in specific details of each space. Meetings will begin in May with the goal of having user groups complete by the end of the school year. Construction will begin in the spring of 2023.
The Project Oversight Committee (POC) is made up of Minnehaha Principal Brett Archer, William Kelley Principal Joe Nicklay, Lake Superior School Board Members Mr. Al Ringer, Mr. Dean Korri, and Mr. Steve VanHouse, Business Manager Tanner Spawn, and me. Supporting the POC are Sal Bagley from WOLD Architects, Natalie Hoff, Ekalath Sophaphanh, and Luke Selken from ICS. The POC meets monthly to ensure the project is on track and following the designated budgets.
As the project continues to develop, updated information will be provided on the Lake Superior School District Website.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 218-834-8201 ext. 8213 or email jbelcastro@isd381.org
I appreciate the support to ensure our staff and students are teaching and learning in 21st-century learning environments.
Sincerely,
Jay Belcastro
Superintendent