Gainesville School Board Chair Dr. Delores Diaz had hoped to settle the issue of a site plan for a new Enota Elementary School at a board retreat on Saturday. Instead, the board will give the community one more chance to offer input on the project at a public forum.
Diaz spoke following the afternoon session of the retreat, which focused solely on the Enota plan.
"Yes, we are rebuilding Enota - yes, we are starting the transition in May at the end of this [school] year. The question is the building itself. What is it going to look like?" said Diaz.
A date for the community forum has not been set. First, board members will meet with the architect and civil engineer at their September 6 work session. That discussion, said Diaz, should help with any unanswered questions board members have about the project design.
The architects and civil engineers have already drafted a site plan, which is considered about 40-50% complete, according to School Superintendent Dr. Wanda Creel. Enota teachers and administrators have offered input into what they want to see inside the new school. At issue, however, is where the new building will actually sit on the property. Community members - specifically those who have crafted the Smartville educational garden on the school grounds - want the building to remain in its current footprint to preserve as much of the garden as possible.
Creel said engineers have altered the footprint of the building in their blueprint, mostly for safety accommodations. She noted the traffic that flows onto Enota Avenue during drop-off and pick-up times at the school, saying the idea is to pull as much traffic off the street as possible. She also said the goal is to place all school facilities on as level a site as possible.
Board member Willie Mitchell took issue with the safety discussion, saying that the new Fair Street Elementary - open for just two years - is not on level property and there have been no safety problems.
Mitchell emphasized - as he has in other meetings - that the community needs what he called 'a seat at the table' in the decision on the school design.
After an hour of discussion, board members made the decision to hold the additional community meeting at some point after the September 6 work session.
While the board retreat was not an open forum, a handful of supporters for the Smartville Garden attended the meeting and so did some teachers concerned about the process.
Denise McConnell, a 4th-grade teacher at Enota, said she was concerned the scheduling of yet another public meeting would mean a delay in building a new school. She said teachers at the school are in favor of replacing the 60-year-old building as quickly as possible, but she said the garden supporters seem to have the board's ear.
"I feel like there are certain voices that are being heard, and if we can't get our voices [teachers] heard, then how are we going to make our board listen to us?" McConnell asked.
She said the age of the building is a problem for teachers and students, noting that there are mold problems in the old structure as well as internet connectivity issues that make teaching a bigger challenge.
"We need a new building. We have 800-plus children in our building and what we want is what's best for the children."
Despite McConnell's concern, Diaz said she believes the board is committed to staying on track with the timeline established to build a new Enota.
