Traditionally, school boards and superintendents have considered a feasibility study only when the district was planning a substantial building or renovation project. But, with financial challenges now weighing heavily on public school budgets, what was once known as, “The Golden Age of School Construction,” has become a thing of the past. Facility concerns still exist, however, and schools are meeting those challenges in new and creative ways. Today, schools are breaking large projects into several smaller ones – usually in the neighborhood of $2 million or less, and stretching the timeline for these projects over multiple years. While this game plan allows a district to address its needs in a manner which is less threatening to its community, changing to this mode has the potential to produce a more narrow scope of the district’s vision.Long-range planning now takes a back seat to, “What’s the next fire we have to put out?” As one who has taught educational facilities classes in multiple universities, I have often been asked, “What good is a feasibility study if one doesn’t have the means to do a meaningful construction project?”

Read full story here

Odle McGuire Shook is an Indiana architecture firm with a focus on Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Engineering, and Architectural Design. We are experts in architecture and one of our professionals will be personally responsible for your project from start to finish. We’ve been dedicated to serving Indiana since 1916, and we have a history of forward thinking. Most of all, we believe that quality, innovative designs don’t have to cost more.