LCS administration makes the move

Formerly the Wells' Dairy corporate offices, this building on Lincoln Street Southwest is now the home to LCS's administrative offices and alternative school, Northwest Area Education Agency and the Le Mars campus of Buena Vista University and Western Iowa Tech Community College. [Click to enlarge]

The LCS administrative staff moved last week to the former Wells' Dairy headquarters on Lincoln Street Southwest. Along with the district superintendent's office and business office, the schools' technology and printing will also be based there.

They will share the 25,000 square foot building with four other education-based organizations: the Le Mars Community Alternative School (previously called the Independent Learning Center), Buena Vista University (BVU), Western Iowa Tech Community College and Northwest Area Education Agency.

The LCS school board bought the building last fall because more high school space was needed and the price was right, according to Superintendent Dr. Todd Wendt.

LCS paid $375,000 and Wells' Dairy contributed $125,000 to pay for the half-million-dollar building.

"If you divide it out, it's about $15 a square foot," Wendt said. "You'd have a hard time leasing space for that kind of money, much less buying it."

Moving the LCS print shop clears space at the school for another computer lab, he said. The district's former administrative offices will become the new guidance counseling office. In turn, the guidance offices will become an extension of the high school office. The former school board room will be used to expand a classroom. The extra space will allow another classroom to be converted to a computer lab.

"We had teachers in classrooms that were inadequate and the high school needed more computer lab space," Wendt said. "Could we have continued the way we were? Sure. But when the option came up, there was no reason to do that anymore."

The need for more space, he said, was based on programs, not enrollment, which dropped by more than 100 students in the last two years.

At that time, the board also knew BVU and the other organizations were looking for more adequate space.

"When the opportunity came of combining the educational institutions into one place, it made sense," Wendt said.

The money for the building came out of the School Infrastructure Local Option (SILO) sales tax revenue, although the maintenance costs will have to be paid out of the district's general fund, which has already seen cuts.

However, Wendt pointed out that BVU and Northwest AEA will pay $4,000 in a monthly lease, and the district will save $575 a month that used to cover rental space for the alternative school.

That money roughly covers the estimate for utilities and janitorial work, Wendt said.

The administrative offices used to be down the hall from the middle and high school, now they're about 1 mile by car.

"It'll be an adjustment for people, although the elementary teachers have been doing this forever," Wendt said, explaining that the district's four elementary schools have always been at a separate location from the administration.

Technology like the district's internal email system will help, he said.

"When it comes to face-to-face communication, we'll have to make an effort to get to each of the buildings," he added. "However, people at our office from a business standpoint don't have a lot of direct contact with staff, or the students for that matter."

The LCS district will likely have an open house this fall to give the public a chance to see how the former Wells' Dairy corporate offices have been transformed.

Before moving in, LCS had some minor renovations made, including adding a few walls to make separate area for Northwest AEA and the alternative school upstairs, painting, and building two ICN (Iowa Communications Network) rooms. Those ICN rooms, which allow students to "attend" classes by watching them on TV and interacting through microphones, are already being used for college courses.

Half of the building's main level is devoted to LCS administration, some of the major technology and the print shop, which covers the larger print jobs for the elementary schools, middle school and high school.

A large room, which will eventually seat around 125 people, will serve as the LCS board room and general meeting room. BVU's offices also are on the main floor, along with some classroom space. The second floor includes the alternative school, the Northwest AEA and the ICN rooms.

"Five offices are the only thing not being used. We filled this up pretty fast," Wendt said. "It's a good partnership."