Ohio consultant to help Greater Latrobe School District craft facilities master plan

Greater Latrobe School Board has selected a firm based in Cincinnati, Ohio, to help the district develop an updated facilities master plan.

The board this week retained SHP to provide facilities master planning and visioning services. The company’s fee structure hasn’t been finalized but will “align with the district goals and budget expectations,” according to Kurt Thomas, director of facilities, operations and planning.

Under its agreement with the district, SHP will help to formulate a facilities plan that draws upon Greater Latrobe’s existing capital improvement plan. The updated plan is meant to provide a basis for weighing short-term maintenance options and potential long-range modernization or reconstruction of older school buildings that might need attention.

Assistant Superintendent Michael Porembka has noted there are “multiple buildings in the district that are due for renovation. When you do a renovation, you’re not just looking at today. You’re looking at a building that’s got to sustain for 25 or 30 years.”

Porembka has been chosen to succeed Georgia Teppert when she retires as superintendent in January.

Greater Latrobe’s most recent major facilities project was construction of the $24.8 million Latrobe Elementary School. Opening Dec. 4, 2018, it replaced a nearby century-old building that initially was home to the town’s high school and then served for some time as the junior high.

Among areas the updated facilities plan will address: use of space, including classrooms; infrastructure; utilities; building access, vehicular circulation and parking; compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act; sustainability, including potential alternative energy sources; and a master schedule for proposed capital improvements.

Development of the plan will include gathering input from focus groups and establishing a community advisory team. Open forum meetings with the community are expected.

Thomas said the school board wants to “establish a districtwide facility master plan that is educationally fantastic, financially responsible and community- supported.”

The planning process is expected to stretch over a year and be completed by December 2022.

“This is going to be a highly driven, community–involved process,” Thomas said. In addition to providing an environment for learning, he noted, district schools are “workplaces for our teachers; they’re community centers for our community.”

Founded in 1901, SHP is a leading U.S. firm involved in planning and design of educational facilities.

“Their extensive experience in the K-12 educational visioning and public engagement process set them apart from other firms,” Thomas said.