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Study Show FISD Buildings in Need of Rehabilitation By Alice Gilroy A facility study of FISD campuses has revealed major rehabilitation is needed in several areas at Junior High and R.C. Andrews Elementary. Minor improvements are needed at other campuses. Plans are now in progress to address these issues and construction of a new building may be one of the answers. The study was conducted by the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) at the request of the FISD Board. After the study, TASA recommended that FISD develop a "Master Facilities Plan" which would address the District's needs for the next 10-20 years. "This is a plan for our future," said FISD Superintendent Jerry Vaughn. "It is not necessarily something that has to be done tomorrow, but there are several areas that have to be addressed quickly." TASA analyzed the District's facilities and compared them to state and other established standards based on: educational adequacy, health and safety, accessibility, efficiency, flexibility, and appearance. At a Lions Club program on Thursday, Vaughn presented a presentation of what he called serious inadequacies in some of the school buildings. Pictures showed leaking pipes, water stained walls, crumbling sheetrock and soft wood floors, crowded classrooms, lack of or hard to access bathrooms for handicapped, no privacy stalls in some bathrooms, and lack of modern technologically advanced libraries and Science labs. "FISD has retained Grimes and Associates to help the district develop a master facilities plan," said Vaughn. To begin the plan four teams have been created: an administrative team, a parent/future parent team, a community team, and a faculty team. Each team will give input to the plan. The teams will be faced with difficult choices of how best to improve old buildings in the most economical and efficient way possible. Floydada High School was is 46 years old (built in 1957); Junior High is 80 years old (built in 1923); Andrews is 77 years old (built in 1926); and Duncan is 37 years old (built in 1966). Team members will also have to look at declining enrollment and unfunded state mandates. "FISD is a 'declining' enrollment district," said Vaughn. "Region 17 (which includes FISD) has 52 districts, and 51 of them are considered 'declining enrollment' districts." The current enrollment of FISD is 1,053 students. FISD has averaged a loss of 18 students over the last decade and it is projected they will lose 12 over the next decade. The peak enrollment for FISD was in 1964 with 1,932 students. The TASA study predicts FISD enrollment should stabilize at approximately 850 students in the 2015-2016 school year. As Vaughn discussed the need for more rooms for students he was questioned on why the district needs more room if FISD has less students and projects even less in the future. "State mandates have made us reduce our class sizes," said Vaughn, "and also mandated new courses and new curriculum which have forced us to add classrooms." Vaughn said the libraries and science labs are also antiquated and do not meet technology requirements. According to TASA, "nearly 80% of the District's general classroom space and over 70% of all teaching stations are smaller than the current Texas state minimum standards.. "The school has significant needs for more space in special programs (science, business, computers, art, drama, career, and vocational, etc.) and instructional support (library, administrative support, etc.), some of which can be met only through additions... "The District needs to deal with both existing space needs and program needs." The TASA study gave each campus a score (see chart), and R.C. Andrews, Junior High, and CCLC were in a percentile range where TASA recommends abandonment or replacement of facility. TASA said the High School needed major rehabilitation and Duncan needed minor improvements. The study said, "school facilities become a priority only when they get in the way of good instruction--Floydada Junior High, Andrews , and the old Della Plains schools have reached that point...All of the District's facilities predate contemporary program needs." Vaughn was quick to point out that the study also concluded the staff was doing an excellent job considering space and program needs. According to TASA, "Floydada ISD has a dedicated staff offering a good educational environment." "We can throw this report in a drawer," said Vaughn, "or gather information on how to address this. "The teams will formulate ideas on what we can afford, what do the parents want, and what does the community want. We will develop a master plan." Facility Composite Scores High School 67.9% Junior High 41.8% Andews 43.7% Duncan 71.3% CCLC 42.9%
Key 90-100% A school facilty of exceptional quality. 70-89% Serves program well; some minor improvements needed. 60-69% Facility needs substantial or major rehabilitation. 46-59% Complete renovation or replacement 00-45% Abandon or replace the facility General Conclusions and Recommendations of TASA Study
1. Establish long-range policies/goals regarding school organization. 2. Develop a facility master plan, addressing the needs for 20 or more years into the future, and the next 10 years. 3. Relocate the junior high school to a new facility on a new and suitably large site, as the district's highest priority. 4. Relocate the intermediate school program to new facilities, possibly moved partly to a new middle school and partly to additions at Duncan Elementary school 5. Regarding replacement of elementary and intermediate school the district's alternatives should be consistent with planning and will likely result in reduced administrative units. 6. Evaluate RCA for reuse for the district's central administrative services, AEP programs, or other public agency use. 7. Evaluate FJHS and associated permanent buildings for use as storage and warehousing facilities or for razing to provide stadium parking. 8. Evaluate the AEP programs future and eventual relocation to a more suitable long-term facility. 9. Evaluate the high school site for expansion; based on options available, determine the facility's better use, as a high school, a middle school, or a 7-12 secondary school. 10. Evaluate the expansion of Duncan Elementary to include grades EE-4, EE-5, EE-6 11. Improve all sites for vehicular access and parking 12. Refurbish both ABD and FHS, as both are of an age where full updating and refurbishing should be done. 13. Provide adequate housing for special needs programs at the appropriate locations. 14. Provide a phased plan for making all schools handicapped accessible. 15. Make all buildings and improvements technology ready, according to the technology plan. EDC Looks Toward An Assisted Living Center in Floydada By Alice Gilroy Floydada's Economic Development Center is in an aggressive mode of launching a community initiative to bring an Assisted Living Center to Floydada. The public and potential investors are invited to a presentation by the EDC, December 2, at 6:00 p.m. at Lighthouse Electric Community Room. The presentation will cover all aspects of an assisted living center--design, location, operation, and ownership. An assisted living center (ALC) has been an ongoing project of EDC since the EDC was first formed. A survey, in 1999, by the Floyd County Extension Service, identified elderly care as the number one need in the community. A subsequent survey, by the EDC, in 2001, ranked assisted living in the top 10 priorities. An ALC provides individualized health and personal care assistance in a homelike setting. An ALC is described as one large "home" with private suites/apartments. The individuals suites can include the bedroom, living room/kitchenette, bathroom, and closet. The fee includes all utilities, meals, snacks, and activities. Residents furnish their suite with their own furniture. The home includes a large dining room, and large group living area. Services provided by an ALC could include: 24 hour staffing, security system, housekeeping, medication assistance, and more. "Each year we loose several elderly residents to an assisted living center in another community," said EDC Director Dora Ross. "When they leave, a void is left in our community." Ross said the cost of living in an ALC is comparable to maintaining your own home. "EDC research shows if you're paying rent or making a house payment, paying utilities, property taxes, food, insurance, and maintenance the estimated cost to live in a home is $1,500-$2,400 per month," said Ross. The cost to live in an ALC depends on the level of care needed by the resident, and size of suite. Approximate rent would be between $1,400 and $2,800. "We visited facilities in Friona, Olton, Crosbyton , Seminole, Idalou, and Hereford," said Ross. "We are recommending that Floydada look at a Small Type B facility. This would be for residents who require staff assistance to evacuate, are not capable of following directions in an emergency, and require nighttime attendance." A proposal to be presented by the EDC will be a 16 bed facility which would include 8 studio suites (approx. 350 sq. ft), 6 one-bedroom suites (approx. 365 sq. ft), and 2 one-bedroom deluxe suites (approx 550 sq. ft). Estimated cost to build would be $1.3 million. "There are several ways we could go about getting an ASL," said Ross. "We could ask a taxing entity to form a non-profit corporation to operate under that entity and build the center. "Or, we could ask a taxing entity to form a committee to look into building a Center and find investors to own and operate the ALC. "We need investment seed money which would provide 25% down for financing and operating expenses for one year until the ALC began operating at a profit. "Whoever owns and operates it would reap the profit benefits," said Ross.
Obituaries MONROE A. SCHULZ Services for Monroe A. Schulz, 82, of Floydada were held Saturday, November 22, 2003 at Shepherd King Lutheran Church. Pastor Gerald Kaskela officiated. Burial was in Resthaven Memorial Park under the direction of Resthaven Funeral Home of Lubbock. Monroe died on Thursday, November 20, 2003 in Lubbock. He was born on April 8, 1921 in Vernon. He married Arvie Foerster on June 11, 1945 in Posey. Monroe was a farmer in the Harmony Community of Floyd County for 58 years. After he retired from farming he worked for Floyd County for 15 years. He served our country in the United Stated Army Air Corp. in World War II. He was a member of Shepherd King Lutheran Church. Survivors include a son, Monroe A. Schulz, Jr. and wife Sharon of Levelland; three daughters Barbara King and husband Glen of Ralls, Donna Rogers and husband Doug of Lubbock, PJ Tomison and husband Rick of Roosevelt; two brothers, Arthur Schulz of Vernon and Leroy Schulz of Temple; nine grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials to Shepherd King Lutheran Church, 2122 18th St., Lubbock, TX or to a favorite charity. WINONA STEWART Funeral services for Mrs. Winona Stewart, 89, of Levelland were held Friday, November 14, 2003, at the First Baptist Church in Levelland. Rev. Will Fish, of Levelland, officiated. Burial was in Resthaven Memorial Park in Lubbock under the direction of Geo. C. Price Funeral Directors of Levelland. She died at 2:30 a.m., Tuesday, November 11, 2003, at Covenant Medical Center in Lubbock. She was born on November 14, 1913, in Navarro County, Texas and moved to Levelland in 1962 from Lubbock. She was a 1931 graduate of Floydada High School. She married George Arthur Stewart on March 19, 1933, in Floydada and he died on January 19, 1973. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Levelland where she taught the Young Married Womens Class for many years. Her parents ran the Felton Grocery Store in Floydada for many years. Survivors include her son, George Stewart of Boerne; her daughter, Betty Schrein of Levelland and Alberta, Canada; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. GARNIE MAE TAYLOR Funeral services for Garnie Mae Taylor, 90, of Lockney were held Tuesday, November 25, 2003 at Grey Mule cemetery in Quitaque. John Francis officiated. Services were conducted by Myers-Long Funeral Directors in Quitaque. Mrs. Taylor died November 22, 2003 in Lockney. She was born September 5, 1913 in Southwest, Arkansas. She was married October 6, 1942 to Ursel "Booger" Taylor in Clovis, NM. She was preceded in death by two daughters. Survivors include her husband Ursel "Booger" Taylor of South Plains; two sons, Ray Taylor of South Plains, Danny and wife Donna Francis of Silverton; one daughter, Kay Gilberd of South Plains; two grandsons; one great-granddaughter; and one great-great-granddaughter. JERRY DALE WILLIAMS Memorial services were held for Jerry Dale Williams, 63, of Lockney Saturday, November 22, 2003 at the West College and Third Church of Christ in Lockney. Frank Duckworth officiated. Mr. Williams died November 19, 2003 at his residence. He was born on July 15, 1940 in Winters to the late Loise and Ilene Shuffield Williams. He was a lifelong resident of Aiken and Providence. He married Frances Kay Golden on July 30, 1960 in Lockney. She preceded him in death on December 14, 2001. He was a farmer and a rancher and loved showing cattle with his grandchildren. He was the past director for the American Angus Association, a Texas Jr. Angus sponsor and a member of the Lockney School Board. He was a Deacon of the West College and Third Church of Christ in Lockney, a member of the Church of Christ in Ruidoso, NM and recently attended the Eleventh and Amarillo Church of Christ in Plainview. He was preceded in death by one brother, Kenneth Williams. Those left to mourn his passing include two sons, Ty Taylor Williams and wife Nikolyn of Lockney, Matthew Dale Williams and wife Jean Anne of Lockney; one daughter, Libby Williams Coody and husband J.R. of Seymour; one brother, Luther Williams of Colleyville; one sister, Peggy Williams Cline of Dimmitt; four grandchildren, Brazos Taylor Williams, Tylee Jo Williams, Sunny Jean Williams and Dixie Kay Williams. The family suggests memorials be made to the Jerry Williams Memorial Showmanship Scholarship, 201 N. Main, Lockney, TX 79241.
By The Way | by Alice Gilroy
A View From The Lamplighter | by Ken Towery
The Hesperian-Beacon invites you to read a collection of thoughts and memories by Ken Towery. The "Reflections of Ken Towery" can be found on this website by clicking here.
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