Extra space in its new facility helps Maggie’s “cater” to additional customer needs.

COMMUNITY NOT ONLY BEHIND NEW PARCHMENT PROJECT, BUT A BIG PART OF IT.

In these economic times, school bond issues face a tough road, and are certainly not assured of approval. In fact, of the nineteen school millages on the ballot across Michigan this past February, only three were successful.

The largest of the three winners was that for the Parchment School District. And it did more than “squeak by.” The bond issue, to generate funds for improvements and new construction at Parchment High School, was approved by a 62 percent to 38 percent margin.

This kind of support was gratifying to district leaders. But it didn’t just happen. The positive results were the product of many months of an organized effort, and many hours volunteered on the part of several key individuals, to help the Parchment community not merely understand the need for improvements, but take an active role in planning the nature and extent of those improvements.

This unprecedented community involvement was achieved through the cooperative efforts of the Parchment School District administration and school board, with support from Kingscott (the project’s Architect) and CSM Group—chosen to be the project’s Construction Manager.

According to Doug Phillips, Director of Business Development for CSM Group, one of the big keys was “identifying a program the community would support.” To that end, a citizens’ committee was formed to study the issues involved. The group, which over time included nearly 100 people, worked for months to assess needs and make recommendations about the scope of the project.

Phone surveys had shown the community had great respect for and satisfaction with the leadership the school district had demonstrated in educating its children. But it was important not to allow that sentiment to breed complacency, as a number of improvements were critically needed.

For example, with limited space, the school cafeteria was challenged to meet the needs of the student population; staggered lunch periods start as early as 10:10 a.m. in order to accommodate all students.

The popular school band, with its state-champion drum line, was forced to practice in the hallways when its size outgrew the old band room. Safety issues also needed to be addressed; the current school layout makes it difficult to adequately monitor school access points, and delivery trucks must come and go through areas that receive heavy student foot traffic.

Mike O’Connor, the retiring Superintendent of the Parchment School District and a 39-year district employee, played a central role in rallying public involvement in the project. O’Connor estimates that he has personally taken over 500 people through the school to give them a first hand look at the needs, and to tap their ideas and energy in supporting solutions.

“It was imperative to get everyone involved at every opportunity: garden clubs, the mayor, township supervisors, a state senator, all the district employees, parent groups, even people at volleyball and basketball games. Every opportunity to talk to people, I took,” O’Connor said.

“I believe the best way to pass a millage is through one-on-one contact; make people aware of what is needed for our children.”

Kingscott conducted a design charrette, in which over 30 committee members were able to view and evaluate different design options for meeting various needs and add their own suggestions. According to David Martin, Project Director forKingscott, it was another way to help the community take ownership of the project.

“The most foresighted aspect of the Parchment project was the way the school board and district chose to value input from the community in the process. That led to solutions the community—not just the principal or a few board members—thought were right,” Martin said.

One part of the proposed plan calls for reclaiming a courtyard area and turning it into what O’Connor calls a “student magnet”—a flexible and comfortable “Barnes & Noble” type space where students can gather for group projects, to work on their computers, or for larger group instruction sessions.

The committee was initially undecided on this feature. But when Principal Scott Karaptian returned with an impressive list he had collected from students and staff of over 50 potential ways to take advantage of this “village” area, it was overwhelmingly approved!

Lisa Ann Prasher, Group Vice President and the Project Director for CSM Group, envisions that same spirit of cooperation as the project proceeds through the design stage, and more specific details are worked out.

“There are still many decisions to be made, and I’m sure they’ll involve the community in those, as well,” Prasher said.

CSM Group is proud to be part of the Parchment School District project. Why was CSM chosen? One member of the board’s selection committee put it this way:

“We visited job sites of the companies we were considering, and we could see a clear difference in how CSM runs a project: organized; clean; the level of detail and service was obvious. That’s what we wanted.”

Presumably, there was a consensus. It seems the people involved in education in the Parchment School District wouldn’t have it any other way.