After four summers and three school-years of construction, renovation, and expansion of Spring Lake Park Schools, the district’s comprehensive and ambitious 2006-09 Facilities Improvement Plan has been completed.

 

It is on budget, and completed six months ahead of schedule.

 

“Thanks to the community’s support, the schools and community have built a better future for students,” says Dr. Don Helmstetter, superintendent, “one which will serve the educational needs of this and the next generation of students, while serving as a source of community pride for many years to come.”

 

To celebrate, to thank the community and others instrumental in the successful project, and to also showcase the community’s schools, the public is invited to attend a Celebration, Dedication, and Community Thank-You Program on Sunday, September 27, at 1:00 pm, in the Fine Arts Center of Spring Lake Park High School, 1100 81st Avenue NE, Spring Lake Park.

 

A reception in the high school's Fine Arts Center concourse and rotunda area will immediately follow the dedication program, as will an open house and tour until 4:00 pm, of Spring Lake Park High School and Learning Alternatives Community School, two school's where renovation and expansion projects were completed this fall.

 

Whether you attend the 1:00 pm dedication program or not, Open Houses and Tours will also take place on Sunday, Sept. 27, from 2:00 – 4:00 pm, in each of the district’s other schools, all of which have been updated and expanded over the past few years: Northpoint Elementary, Westwood Elementary, and Westwood Intermediate in Blaine, Park Terrace Elementary in Spring Lake Park, and Woodcrest Elementary and the district’s Early Childhood Center in Fridley.

 

The school district’s comprehensive Facilities Improvement Plan was developed throughout 2004-06 by citizen-staff task force and committees, was approved following a February 2006 bond referendum vote, and was completed using a precise timetable allowing construction over four summers and three school years.

 

The plans primary goals included:

• address a 20 percent growth in enrollment by adding classrooms to all schools through renovation and new construction
• address deferred maintenance needs on 35- to 50-year old facilities
• build a new 750-student capacity K-3 school
• meet or exceed all state and federal guidelines
• address issues of safety and security
• provide long-range educational solutions for this and the next generation of students

A complete history of the Facilities Improvement Plan’s projects can be found by visiting Bond Projects Updates at SpringLakeParkSchools.org. Here you’ll find a nearly four-year collection of photographs, video tours, floor plans, and updates documenting the development and implementation of the plan.