The Hillsboro R-3 School District has selected an architectural firm to create the district’s first facility master plan.
Clayton-based Bond Architects, in partnership with Kansas City-based Hollis and Miller, was unanimously chosen May 28 by the Board of Education. Eleven architectural firms responded to a request for qualifications (RFQ) for the master plan project.
Assistant Superintendent Clay LaRue said Bond Architects and Hollis and Miller stood out because of their experience and level of research.
“They’ve done facility assessments in the past, just their strong marketing for a referendum in the future,” he said. “They just had a really nice roadmap laid out for Hillsboro. You could tell they had done their research and knew the background of Hillsboro and what our objectives were.”
Before the board’s May 28 meeting, Rebecca Kleba, senior project manager with Bond Architects, said “We’re very excited to get started. I grew up in Jefferson County so I’m glad to be back, and I’m excited to be doing work here in Hillsboro.”
A final contract amount will be recommended at the board’s next meeting, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. today, June 25, in the Hillsboro R-3 Board Room, 10486 Business 21.
How did we get here?
Discussion to develop a comprehensive long-range facility master plan began after some residents at a Feb. 26 board meeting suggested an increase in the district’s levy.
During that meeting, multiple residents raised concerns about security and athletic facilities.
Jeremy Hodge, a resident, named the entrance to the high school as an example of security needs.
“I do have concerns about (how) they’re getting in and out of that building, how easy it is,” he said.
Visitors must state their purpose before entering the front entrance of the high school and sign in at the front office. However, a second set of doors remain unlocked. The front office, where visitors must sign in, is located past those doors.
LaRue said the high school was built in 1999 and does not have a secure entrance like the other buildings in the school district.
“It’s just not real practical. Even if it’s nobody that’s harming kids, we just let them in whereas the other (entrances), that really doesn’t happen,” he said.
Hodge also pointed out the district’s baseball field as an area of concern.
“The baseball field really needs some help. Our baseball field is not like the rest of them,” he said. “You go to Festus, if you look at their baseball field, it’s primo. We need that here; we need to keep bringing the school up to the level of our competitors and different districts.”
He also said the baseball and other athletic fields at the high school were completed in 2006.
LaRue echoed Hodge’s sentiments about the athletic facilities and said artificial turf would require less maintenance and allow Hillsboro to compete with other districts.
Grant Bissell, another resident who spoke at the meeting, said on April 9 that his request was preliminary.
“We just asked the board to consider developing a reasonable plan that will serve both students and the broader community,” he said. “My hope for the increase, should it become reality, would be a long-term plan to address safety, facility improvements, student opportunities and student retention with open enrollment on the horizon.
“The other residents and I were speaking on behalf of parents who would like to see the Hillsboro School District thrive and provide our children with the best opportunities possible.”
Superintendent Jon Isaacson said on June 11 the district is considering placing a $1 operating levy increase on the ballot on Nov. 3.
“My recommendation is that we do it in November when it’s the highest voter turnout, so we engage a majority of our community,” he said.
Hillsboro’s current total tax levy is $3.6777 per $100 assessed valuation.
Isaacson said the school district operates with the lowest tax rate in Jefferson County.