Preservation, redevelopment of school building planned
By Bert Lehman
As the Nov. 3 school referendum approaches, the Clintonville School District recently stated it intends to pursue redevelopment of the Rexford Longfellow Elementary School building complex.
In an Oct. 5 press release, the Clintonville School District said that as a result of a recent study, the Facility Concept Planning Group unanimously recommended that the district move away from the Rexford Longfellow complex.
“First, a northside campus will create operational efficiencies by having all school district buildings in one central location. These efficiencies could approach $200,000 or more a year in district savings through the completion of the base plan outlined in the Nov. 3 referendum,” the press release noted.
“Furthermore, the engineering study completed on district buildings in April of 2019 indicated that the Rexford Longfellow complex was in need of more than $16 million in upgrades to address maintenance issues, age appropriate learning spaces, air quality, aging infrastructure conditions, and challenges with site safety.”
The district also worked with a Wisconsin historic preservation architect to discuss the future of the buildings.
“The school board and facility planning group learned of the favorable market for the potential redevelopment of the complex while allowing the building to remain on the State Register of Historic Places,” the press release said. “This concept received favorable support from within the community by those who wish to see the historic complex of Clintonville remain. Redevelopment ideas for the Rexford Longfellow building would have the goal of supporting the growth and development of downtown Clintonville.”