By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

USD 489’s Community Vision Team will discuss preliminary facility options and costs at 5:30 tonight in the Toepfer board room at the Rockwell Administration Center. The meeting is open to the public.

This is the sixth set of meetings looking at facility improvements needed in the district.

The team at its last set of meetings discussed two options for a bond issue.

The first option would be to build a new high school. The current high school would be transitioned into a middle school, and the old middle school would be transitioned to an elementary school. Wilson and Roosevelt Elementary schools would be renovated. Lincoln and O’Laughlin Elementary schools would be vacated.

The second option would be to renovate the high school and middle school and build a new elementary school. Wilson and Roosevelt would be renovated, and Lincoln and O’Laughlin would be vacated.

The district conducted a phone survey last week to assess what the public would like to see in facilities upgrades and how much they would be willing to pay for a bond project.

Superintendent John Thissen said the district and its architect, DLR, will take this information in addition to the input from the Vision Team and try to create a bond issue that meets the needs of the district and the community.