School district discusses new campus

The Fairport Harbor School District is starting to look into some new digs.

“As a district that has been educating young minds since the first brick school building was built in 1876, Fairport has had a significant place in the history of Lake County, Ohio,” a flier posted on the Fairport School District website reads.

It continues: “Today, the educational program of Fairport Harbor looks much different than it did in the 1870s. However, the existing facilities are deteriorating. The buildings do not meet all state and federal codes for accessibility. The heating, electrical and plumbing systems are showing their age. Although great efforts have been made to maintain these historic buildings, they are in need of necessary and costly updates.”

The flier goes on to state how much the district needs new buildings: “The timing is right to explore the opportunity to update or replace the existing buildings with new facilities designed to meet the needs of a modern educational program.”

The district reports it is seeking funds from the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission, which oversees the planning and development of the K-12 public schools’ building renovation and

construction initiative.

At its K-12 Campus Committee meeting Feb. 2, Fairport School Board Vice President Kathy Paolino explained the purpose of this newly established board committee.

The committee was launched to inform the community about the Classroom Facilities Assistance Program offered to the Fairport School District by the Ohio School Facilities Commission. In addition, the panel will seek to obtain input from the students, staff and community, that meeting’s minutes reflect.

Although Paolino did answer an e-mail query about the new campus project with a transcript of the minutes of the Feb. 2 meeting, the other four board members did not reply to inquiries about the district’s plans, nor did the superintendent’s office return a March 20 phone call seeking comment.