Last Updated on April 20, 2023 by Logansport Community School Corporation
The Logansport Community School Corporation is moving forward with the demolition of the Columbia 6th Grade Academy now that the students are attending the brand-new Intermediate School on Chase Road.
Over the next few months, the demolition project will become apparent as the demolition crews progress with their work. The key parts of the project include the following:
- Temporary safety/security fencing will be erected around the site in the first part of April.
- Interior work will begin the first part of April. The demolition crew will be conducting removal and sorting activities of materials for reclamation/recycle or waste. Materials that are not recyclable will be hauled away throughout April.
- Disconnection and capping of utilities will be completed during the month of April.
- Large heavy demolition equipment will be mobilized to the site at the end of April. Shortly thereafter, mass demolition of the building will begin.
- Trucking activities will begin mid-May and will run through the end of June as the building demolition continues.
- The final activities will include clean fill and compaction of the area previously occupied by the building, followed by top soil and grass seeding. Removal of the temporary safety/security fencing will be the final operation before the demolition crew departs from the site.
SOURCE: Logansport Community School Corporation
The following information was included in the Logansport Community School Corporation’s 2020-2021 annual report:
In 2015, Logansport Community School Corporation in a collective effort with community members, parents, teachers, administrators, and board members, created a strategic plan establishing long term goals for the district. As plans for the future began, the district knew it had a capacity to complete A large project without affecting the tax rate which would impact the district long term. The major goals in the strategic plan included preschool opportunities at every school, offer more extracurricular activities to junior high and high school students, and separate 6th grade students from 7th and 8th grade students due to the vast differences developmentally and emotionally.
The district started to put plans into action in 2016 by conducting a study of Columbia Middle School and Lincoln Middle School to determine what changes could be made to have 5th and 6th graders in one building and 7th and 8th graders in another. By separating the grade levels into different buildings, the developmental and emotional needs of the students are better met, and students are offered more extracurricular opportunities such as band, choir, and athletics.
Through the study in 2016 it was found that Lincoln Middle School could house 7th and 8th grade students, but Columbia Middle School did not have enough space to accommodate 5th and 6th graders. The decision was made to rename Lincoln Middle School to Logansport Junior High School, a school for 7th and 8th graders. Columbia Middle School was renamed Columbia 6th Grade Academy for 6th grade students.
A district wide study was completed during the 2017-2018 school year to evaluate programs, operations, facilities and learning environments with a goal to determine the district’s next steps. A key focus in this study was to find if the district should remodel Columbia Sixth Grade Academy or build a new school to house 5th and 6th grade students. The study concluded it would be programmatically and financially beneficial to construct a new building on property the district has owned for over 25 years on Chase Road. Construction of a new building allows the district to fulfill the strategic plans of having 5th and 6th graders in one building with more academic and extracurricular opportunities, and the expansion of preschool programming.
During the study, additional priorities were addressed including updates and enhancements at Fairview Elementary School, a safer drop-off and pickup areas at Columbia Elementary School, and security updates across all buildings.
Throughout the 2019-2020 school year, plans were put into action as the design of the new building and additional renovations came to life with the help of the district staff and architects. Plans and the project budget were finalized during the 2020-2021 school year, along with the completion of the bond process. April 15, 2021 marked the official groundbreaking of Logansport Intermediate School on Chase Road. Logansport Intermediate School will be welcoming preschoolers and 5th and 6th grade students in August of 2022.
The following info was included in LCSC’s 2021-2022 annual report:
On April 15, 2021 the ground-breaking ceremony for the new intermediate school was held at 1600 Chase Road. This signaled the official beginning of the new construction project at that site as well as the renovations that would occur at the three elementary schools. As the ground was being prepared for construction, the determination was made that the soil was composed of too much clay to support the new building. The remediation of the soil at the Intermediate school site began the first of some delays that has moved the completion date further into the future. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact the construction world making it difficult to acquire materials in a timely manner. It also led to delays as workers came down with the virus and, for a time, there was a shortage of workers on the job site. All delays combined have caused the completion date, which was set for mid-August, to be moved to mid-November.
Originally, LCSC had planned to open Logansport Intermediate School (LIS) for the 2022-2023 school year and have all fifth and sixth grade students attending. As the completion date for the building has been moved to mid-November the plans for opening LIS have also been adjusted. All incoming sixth grade students will begin their 2022-2023 school year in the Columbia Sixth Grade Academy building. With the start of the second semester, on January 5, 2023, 6th grade students will attend Logansport Intermediate School and finish the school year in the new building.
In the 2023-2024 school year, all preschool, fifth, and sixth grade students will attend LIS. Franklin Elementary School will become an alternative education school. All other students who live within the Franklin Elementary School district will be reassigned to either Columbia, Fairview, or Landis Elementary Schools. Students who attend Franklin Elementary, but live outside its district will be reassigned to their home school.