The Waunakee Community School District facility committee provided initial support for a new long-term option focused on rebuilding the oldest portion of the high school and directed staff to develop more detailed design and pricing information.

Steve Summers outlined a concept that concentrates on the high school’s oldest section—referred to in the presentation as the “green” area—and would involve tearing down that portion and rebuilding it as a two-story structure. Summers said the approach rests on using the existing middle school as temporary space during a multi-year phased rebuild: “If we were to move in this direction, the idea of the temporary use of the middle school becomes even more important than we currently have been planning for that use.” He described the plan as “super high level” and asked for the committee’s initial reaction to whether staff and architects should pursue the idea further.

Board members asked practical questions about interim arrangements for specific programs. One board member noted the science department sits in the green area and asked how science labs would be accommodated; Summers said phased construction and coordination with EUA and high school administration would be required. Summers also addressed energy options: in response to a question about geothermal, he said initial analysis suggests the green area could be served by a geothermal heating and cooling system but whether existing building portions could be integrated “would have to be looked at further.”

Several members expressed support for the green-focused approach and asked staff to develop concrete alternatives. Joan said she “likes this approach” and later signaled approval to move forward—"I would say green light." Summers also noted program relocations likely under the concept, including relocating TLC and 18–21 programs to the middle school, and possible repurposing of music and athletic spaces.

On a related short-term item, Tim asked that the district include math classroom furniture pricing in the current procurement work for updated English classroom furniture so the district can compare costs now rather than later. Tim said modern, movable furniture better supports collaborative instruction and that including math in the current pricing exercise could be more cost-effective under the district’s master agreement.

Why it matters: the proposal would reshape how Waunakee organizes high school instructional and support spaces and requires multi-year phasing, interim student placements and significant design work; energy systems like geothermal and program relocations are key trade-offs to be analyzed.

Next steps: staff and the district’s design partner (EUA) were asked to develop phased plans, cost estimates and options for program relocations and to return to the committee and board with pricing and recommendations.