The Tri-Township School Board took action Thursday that paves the way for the closure of the 105-year-old LaCrosse school building. Board members passed a resolution to proceed with the bond process for a high school addition to the Wanatah School. The project would add five classrooms plus support spaces and infrastructure for a total cost of almost $2.6 million.
The board’s approval came in spite of overwhelming opposition during the required public hearing. Most of those who spoke were either against the project itself or the process that led up to it.
Jim Sheely told board members by Zoom that he strongly opposed the proposal. “There will be less teachers, less students, and therefore, less education funds and less, not more, programs,” Sheely said. “It will be a disaster for Tri-Township School Corporation, and the facts speak for themselves. With less students and less education funds, the school corporation will collapse.”
Others were concerned that the school corporation hadn’t presented estimates for how much it would cost to maintain or demolish the empty building. It was also pointed out that the plan to continue using the attached Tiger Den gym would make the rest of the building difficult or impossible to repurpose.
Board members said it was a hard decision, but it’s ultimately what’s best for the kids.
If the project goes according to schedule, the school board would hire a design-build firm in February. Construction would start in the spring, with the new addition being complete by the fall of 2022.
