Although it won’t be moving to the Brick Building — currently a portion of Ponoka Elementary School — until the fall of 2015, Ponoka Outreach School is already plowing into what is needed in terms of renovations.
The Outreach School staff want the inside structure to be more open, similar to their current layout, to remain conducive to the students’ learning styles. “Some of the concerns around that brick building is it’s very much a typical school structure,” said superintendent of Wolf Creek Public Schools (WCPS) Larry Jacobs.
“So they asked if it would be possible if they could give it a different kind of a feel,” he added.
Each year the school division receives $50,000 for each of its outreach schools. “So if we move them into the Brick Building . . . The board might agree to upfronting the cost of that,” said Jacobs. The money the board lent for the project would then be paid back over a designated time frame.
The WCPS board of trustees has decided to provide up to $100,000 to help foot the cost of the renovations. The total cost of the project is estimated between $160,000 and $200,000.
“They have raised about $80,000, they intend to try and raise another $20,000,” said Jacobs.
The Outreach staff want to put holes in three of the Brick Building’s wall, take out a wall for a reception area near the front door, build a smudge room and fan, and develop a science area.