Carson City School Superintendent Richard Stokes gives a presentation on 1600 Snyder Ave. at a quarterly Professional Learning Community meeting Wednesday in the Carson High School library.
The Carson City School District’s first quarterly Professional Learning Community session for 2019-20 focused on feedback provided by the 1600 Snyder Ave., citizen committee.
About 35 attended the PLC meeting Wednesday held in the Carson High School library to learn about the property the district’s Board of Trustees has been assessing and considering for purchase.
Superintendent Richard Stokes, fiscal director A.J. Feuling and Carson City architect Darrin Berger of Berger Hannafin Architecture gave similar presentations from previous school board meetings and to committee members.
They addressed expected future student growth in Carson City, the circumstances about how the property came available for purchase, a brief overview of the letter of intent, the potential of the former Capital Christian facilities as a school site and the work needed to use it as an elementary, middle or high school facility.
Stokes acknowledged the citizen committee, which met throughout September, and its role in gauging whether the district should buy the property and, if so, what type of school it could become.
Asking for feedback from those who came, community members, including district employees, the citizen committee and interested stakeholders all generally agreed the property would be worth the $5.67 million purchase price and subsequent capital improvements.
“I think we all agree this is truly a ‘deal’ deal you can’t lose,” Carson City Sheriff Kenneth Furlong said. “You move along this route … and you don’t have so much growth in Carson as a shift in Carson.”
Citizen committee member Janie Davis said using the property as an elementary school would be ideal.
“I think it would be nice even as an elementary school to have that track,” she said. “You can have track meets at the elementary school. You could have so many more events. I think it would be a great thing for our community to have a track that size.”
Stokes said in his 20 years in Carson City, he’s found it rare to find any kind of modern buildings so well maintained that would be suitable for the district’s purposes like 1600 Snyder Ave. Still, it would come with its challenges, including handling improvements for utilities and materials and providing staffing.
“This project appeals to all of us because it appears to be a bargain and we have identified in our minds what we would like to it become,” Stokes told the audience.
He said district staff anticipated doing more to collect additional input, which potentially includes an online survey, but the district is not prepared for that now.
Stokes added that designating the site as an elementary site, if that was the desired direction, would not limit Carson City School District’s capital projects priorities.
“It boggles my mind that a vibrant city like ours hasn’t had more student growth,” Stokes said. “I think we’re on that bubble.”
The trustees will hear the feasibility study results at their Oct. 22 board meeting and vote on whether to purchase the property.
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