Community forum set as Greater Latrobe School District develops a facilities master plan

Greater Latrobe residents this month will learn about a planning and visioning process underway at the school district and will have an opportunity to provide input toward a facilities master plan that will result from that process.

A community outreach forum for the plan is set for 6:30 p.m. Feb. 24 in the senior high auditorium.

The plan is being developed with the help of Ohio architectural consultant SHP. Greater Latrobe Superintendent Mike Porembka said one of the purposes of the plan is to determine how to bring the district’s older schools into alignment with educational needs in the coming years.

He noted the new Latrobe Elementary School, which opened in December 2018, “fits what we do in the elementary schools perfectly because we built that building with that in mind. That’s what we’re looking to do with the other ones.

“Plus, we’re looking at class sizes, how to better utilize space, more efficiently use space.”

Other district facilities include a senior high/junior high complex and two additional elementary schools, all in Unity, along with administrative offices and Memorial Stadium, both in Latrobe

Joshua Predovich, an architect and project manager with SHP, said his company has assigned a four-member team to assist Greater Latrobe. The team has toured district buildings and has met with district staff while conducting a facility and site assessment.

In a presentation to the school board this week, he explained the company plans to engage with the district and the local community on multiple levels while crafting the facilities master plan. SHP intends to deliver a final version of the plan to the school board in December.

Those attending the Feb. 24 forum will learn about opportunities to engage further in the planning process, including participating in visioning and advisory groups, Predovich said. Two additional community forums are planned for the summer and fall.

School officials will serve on an overall district steering team and on a finance advisory team, which is expected to join the planning process this summer.

During the remainder of the spring semester, Predovich said, SHP will coordinate a series of educational visioning meetings involving two groups.

A community group of about 40 to 50 people will have evening meetings while a group of about 30 students in grades 5-12 will meet during the day.

For the evening meetings, Predovich said, “We’re really looking for a wide cross-section of your community.”

The groups will provide input on what education in Greater Latrobe should look like in the next 10 years. They’ll engage in exercises, including a space-planning game, and ultimately will compare notes, Predovich said.

“Our goal is to determining what is successful, what’s working today, but also what your students aren’t seeing in their daily education that they believe could be impactful as they start to think about their future,” he said.

A “test fit,” to see how the district’s educational vision compares with its available facilities is slated over the summer break, according to Todd Thackery, SHP vice president.

An additional community advisory team will become involved as facilities options are weighted and a final master plan is developed.

Other stakeholders that will have input include the Greater Latrobe Partners In Education Foundation and members of the local business community, “who know what they need to see from our students,” Porembka said.

“We don’t think that there’s any one plan right now that really stands out as a clear path forward without going through this (planning) process,” Predovich said.

Information about the planning process eventually will be posted at futureglsd.com, a website that is under construction.